Louisville's Gardner not making excuses after weekend loss

After starting out hot in its new conference, quarterback Will Gardner is taking ownership of Louisville's 23-21 upset loss to Virginia.

"I take the blame for that," he told The Courrier-Journal. "I've got to find throwing lanes, and I have to stand tall in the pocket. I have to do my best this week so that doesn't happen again."

The Cardinals entered Saturday's game at Virginia ranked No. 21, but after falling flat against the Cavaliers, have dropped out of the polls altogether. Gardner had a sub-par day, completing 14-of-34 passes for 164 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Mix in a lost fumble on a botched handoff, and multiple tipped passes at the line of scrimmage, and you have a recipe for a loss.

[Courtesy of The Courrier-Journal]

The redshirt sophomore was benched at the end of the second quarter and his replacement, freshman Reggie Bonnafon, didn't fare much better. Gardner did return in the fourth quarter to generate two scoring drives.

Although he picked it up late, Gardner knows he has to play a complete game if he wants to give his squad a chance to win.

"Those drives gave us a chance, but you can't play like I did in the first half and expect to turn it on right there in the end and win a football game," he said.