Hokies, Cardinals will try to atone
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At times this season, Virginia Tech and Louisville appeared headed to the Bowl Championship Series.
The Hokies were overwhelming favorites to win the inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference title game against slumping Florida State in early December and advance to the Orange Bowl. But the Seminoles jumped out to a big lead and upset the Hokies 27-22.
The Cardinals were widely picked to win the depleted Big East and earn a BCS berth. But they lost twice on the road – a surprising blowout at South Florida and a triple-overtime defeat at West Virginia – and faded from league contention.
Twelfth-ranked Virginia Tech (10-2) and No. 15 Louisville (9-2) are both looking for redemption in the Gator Bowl today.
“Football is a lot like life, and you’re going to have disappointments,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “The issue is how you come back from them.”
Both teams have rebounded before.
The Hokies bounced back from a loss to Miami in November and hammered Virginia and North Carolina to reach the ACC championship game in Jacksonville.
“You didn’t want to see the ship sink, so you had to make a stand,” senior defensive tackle Jonathan Lewis said. “The question is whether we can bounce back (again). Hopefully, the team’s up for the challenge.”
The Cardinals have won five in a row since losing to the Mountaineers. Now, Louisville is playing in its first New Year’s Day game or later since 1991, when Browning Nagle threw for 451 yards and three touchdowns to help the Cardinals shock Alabama 34-7.
Louisville probably shouldn’t expect as much offense in this game.
The Cardinals will be without sophomore quarterback Brian Brohm, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Syracuse in November. He passed for a Big East-leading 2,883 yards and 19 touchdowns this season.
Freshman Hunter Cantwell, who threw for 271 yards against Connecticut in the season finale, will make his second career start against the Hokies.
“If someone had said before the season that I would be our quarterback in the bowl game, I probably would have told them they were crazy,” Cantwell said. “But this is something I’ve wanted to do my entire life. It feels good be in here and be in charge.”
The game features the nation’s top-ranked defense (Virginia Tech) against the eighth-ranked offense. But there might be a more intriguing matchup, especially with Cantwell replacing Brohm in the lineup.
The Hokies could have their hands full trying to block Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil, who has 19 sacks and 11 forced fumbles this season.
The senior from Miami won the Bronko Nagurski Award as college football’s best defensive player and the Ted Hendricks Award as the top defensive end.
“He’s had an unbelievable season,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. “Not only is he getting sacks, but he’s causing turnovers. A lot of that has added momentum to the offense, given the offense short fields and the defense has scored touchdowns when it has happened, so he truly has had a great year. He deserves all the awards and recognition that he’s gotten.”