I think most of us had a hunch this was coming, but U of L has confirmed that quarterback Will Gardner will miss the rest of the season with a left knee injury.
"It is really unfortunate and disappointing for Will because of how hard he has worked and how respected he is in the locker room," head coach Bobby Petrino said in a release. "Will will continue to be an integral part of our program moving forward because of his leadership he has displayed and the respect he has in the locker room. "
Gardner suffered the injury during a non-contact play in the first half of U of L's win at Boston College on Saturday. The injury was to his left knee, the same one in which he had previously torn his ACL twice. He will have surgery on the knee at some point in the next several weeks, but a date has not been set.
A redshirt sophomore, Gardner has been Louisville's starting quarterback in seven of its 10 games this season. He's thrown for 1,669 yards and 12 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He entered Saturday's game coming off arguably the best performance of his career when he tossed for 330 yards and a score in U of L's 42-31 loss to Florida State.
As bad as this is for the rest of the 2014 season, I think the long-term ramifications are the worst part here. This is the third major left knee injury that Gardner will have suffered over the course of just five years. That would be scary for anyone, let alone a college player with two years of eligibility remaining. Just awful news.
The fate of the 2014 season now rests in your hands (and your feet), young Reginald.
