2013 Louisville Cardinals football team

2013 Louisville Cardinals football
Russell Athletic Bowl champion
Russell Athletic Bowl, W 36–9 vs. Miami (FL)
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 15
2013 record	12–1 (7–1 The American)
Head coach	Charlie Strong (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Shawn Watson (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Vance Bedford (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (Capacity: 55,000)

The 2013 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals were led by fourth-year head coach Charlie Strong. The Cardinals played their home games at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. They were in their last year as a member of the American Athletic Conference (formerly known as the Big East) until they moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference starting on July 1, 2014. They finished the season 12–1, 7–1 in American Athletic play to finish in second place. They were invited to the Russell Athletic Bowl where they defeated Miami (FL).

Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2012 season 11–2, 5–2 in Big East play to finish in a four-way tie for the Big East championship. As the highest rated of the four Big East champions in the final BCS poll, the Cardinals received the conference's automatic bid into a BCS game. It marked also the first time the Cardinals won back-to-back BIG EAST titles. Louisville finished a remarkable season by defeating third-ranked Florida 33–23 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, giving the Cardinals their 11th win for just the fourth time in school history.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	3:30 p.m.	Ohio*	No. 9	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	ESPN	W 49–7	55,332
September 7	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Kentucky*	No. 8	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	ESPN3	W 44–7	53,647
September 14	12:00 p.m.	at Kentucky*	No. 7	Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY (Battle for the Governor's Cup)	ESPN	W 27–13	65,445
September 21	12:00 p.m.	FIU*	No. 7	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	WHAS	W 72–0	51,586
October 5	12:00 p.m.	at Temple	No. 7	Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA	AAN	W 30–7	21,709
October 10	7:30 p.m.	Rutgers	No. 8	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	ESPN	W 24–10	55,168
October 18	8:00 p.m.	UCF	No. 8	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	ESPN	L 35–38	55,215
October 26	12:00 p.m.	at South Florida	No. 18	Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL	ESPN2	W 34–3	35,782
November 8	8:30 p.m.	at Connecticut	No. 20	Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT	ESPN2	W 31–10	27,104
November 16	7:00 p.m.	Houston	No. 19	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY	ESPNU	W 20–13	53,027
November 23	12:00 p.m.	Memphis	No. 21	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY (Rivalry)	AAN	W 24–17	46,421
December 5	7:30 p.m.	at Cincinnati	No. 19	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH (Battle for the Keg of Nails)	ESPN	W 31–24 OT	35,097
December 28	6:45 p.m.	vs. Miami (FL)*	No. 18	Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium • Orlando, FL (Russell Athletic Bowl)	ESPN	W 36–9	51,098
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Roster

References