U of L defense outshines offense

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Courier Journal:

On the same day that the University of Louisville announced that it has sold out its football season tickets, sophomore wide receiver Mario Urrutia put on a show for free.

Urrutia had three touchdown catches -- including completions of 45 and 48 yards from redshirt freshman Hunter Cantwell -- in the first controlled scrimmage of preseason practice yesterday morning.

They were the most prominent offensive highlights in a workout that was dictated by defensive aggressiveness. Coach Bobby Petrino praised the way his defense flew to the ball for a second straight day. On Thursday, Petrino extended the afternoon practice because "the defense was getting after the offense."

Petrino pitted the first teams and second teams against each other. Running back Kolby Smith scored on a screen pass, and running back George Stripling and quarterback Brian Brohm had short TD runs.

Senior tackle Montavious Stanley continued to set the defensive tone in the interior.

"I thought we did some good things on both sides of the football," Petrino said. "We ran the ball well at times with Kolby and Michael Bush, and I thought the defense had some good moments. We are working hard to get better, and that's all I ask of these guys."

Fans will get their last look at the Cardinals before their Sept. 4 opener at Kentucky today, the final day that practice will be open to the public. U of L will practice at 9 a.m., then again from 6-8. After tonight's practice, the team will hold a Fan Fest, with posters, schedule cards and other giveaways available and an autograph session.

Despite selling out its season tickets, U of L has a limited number of single-game tickets, priced at $32, for each of its home games. Those tickets will go on sale at tonight's Fan Fest and may be purchased after that by visiting the ticket office at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium or by calling TicketMaster or the U of L ticket office at (502) 361-3100.

U of L can sell just under 35,000 season tickets in the 42,000-seat Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, with the rest going to visiting teams or corporate marketing packages.

"It's apparent that our fans are not only excited about our team but are looking forward to our first season in the Big East Conference," athletic director Tom Jurich said. "It's great to see so many people wanting to be a part of our game-day experience."