Louisville Cardinals vs Florida Gators Match Player Stats On Jan 02, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 3, 2013

No. 18 Louisville 33, No. 4 Florida 23: The Cardinals found the end zone on the first play from scrimmage in each half and Teddy Bridgewater threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns to upset the Gators in the AllState Sugar Bowl.

Terell Floyd stepped in front of a Jeff Driskel pass on the game's first snap and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to stun 14-point favorite Florida 15 seconds in. After Louisville forced a three-and-out on the ensuing series, Jeremy Wright capped a 12-play, 83-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to send the Cardinals (11-2) on their way.

Bridgewater's 15-yard strike to DeVante Parker gave Louisville a 24-3 lead with 2:57 to play in the first half before the Gators (11-2) finally found the end zone, cutting Louisville's lead to 24-10 at halftime as Matt Jones punched it from a yard out.

Looking for a spark, Florida attempted an onside kick to open the second half but the Cardinals were prepared, recovering the ball at midfield. The Gators were also assessed a pair of personal foul penalties on the play and with the ball on Florida's 19 yard line, Bridgewater hit Damian Copeland in stride to open up a 20-point lead.

Louisville was held to only five yards on the ground in the first half but Wright, who managed only 89 yards in the final three games with starter Senorise Perry lost to injury, totaled 84 rushing yards with a strong second half. The Cardinals took advantage of three Gator turnovers and benefited from 98 penalty yards assessed to Florida. Driskel finished with 175 passing yards and a pair of interceptions.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Louisville reached 11 wins in a season for the first time since 2006 and is 2-0 all-time in BCS bowls. ... Florida lost the turnover battle for the second time this season and lost both those games.