The University of Louisville football team has Georgia on its mind.
The Cardinals will face the University of Georgia - the first-ever meeting between the two - on Dec. 30 in the Belk Bowl, it was announced Sunday. Kickoff between the No. 21 Cardinals (9-3) and No. 13 Bulldogs (9-3) will be 6:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve Eve at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
The foe will be a very familiar one for UofL defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who spent the previous four seasons in that position at UGA.
And Grantham’s unit will likely be put to the test by the Bulldogs, who rank eighth in scoring (41.7 points per game) and 13th in rushing (255 yards per game) in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Georgia finished second in the Southeastern Conference East Division this season. The Bulldogs’ lone losses were to South Carolina (38-35), Florida (38-20) and Georgia Tech (30-24 in overtime). Georgia’s biggest victories, meanwhile, were over Clemson (45-21), Missouri (34-0) and Auburn (34-7).
“The selection of our team to play for the first time in the Belk Bowl is a great opportunity for our team and especially our seniors,” oft-criticized Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a press release. “We’ve never been to Charlotte and it will be a new experience for our fans and all our players. Charlotte is an exciting city, has a great stadium and will furnish first-class competition with a quality opponent like Louisville. It will be a challenge for our team and we are looking forward to the game.”
The Bulldogs and Cardinals had two common opponents - Clemson and Kentucky. Georgia beat the Tigers by 24 and the Wildcats by 32 while UofL lost 23-17 at Clemson and beat UK 44-40 on Nov. 29.
Photo courtesy University of Louisville Football Facebook Page
