By Ed Peak

As a journalist one should never assume anything. Ask questions, check and double check facts. Pretty certain Louisville is playing Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl, December 30 at 4 p.m. (EST). That has been double checked.

Chris Mack is pretty sure Mississippi State will be opponent in the Music City Bowl (Cindy Rice Shelton photo).

Louisville coach Scott Satterfield was a good 15 minutes into his media briefing Sunday before a reporter told him your playing the Mississippi State. “That doesn’t change anything,” said Satterfield.

Somebody was messing with the SEC bowl picture for sure. One possible suspect, Tennessee AD Phil Fulmer, has been known to change the status quo but he’s not talking about how UT suddenly wound up in the Gator Bowl instead of the Music City Bowl.

Louisville (7-5) and Mississippi State (6-6) are not post season strangers. In 2017, Mississippi State edged the Cardinals 31-27 in the Citrus Bowl. It was quarterback Lamar Jackson’s final game in a Louisville uniform.

  “We get 15 extra practices,” said Satterfield. “We’ll treat the first seven practices like spring ball. Work on fundamentals. Blocking and tackling. Then we’ll start putting in our game plan.”

Satterfield said other than a few bumps and bruises everyone on the roster should be available except Russ Yeast, who is out for an extended period of time after an injury against Syracuse.

Quarterback Micale Cunningham has an ankle problem but should be okay. “We’re excited about playing. Where this group came from winning no conference games to five and finishing second is truly incredible.”

Satterfield was on the road recruiting when he was named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year last week. “There were a lot of guys that did a great job, Dabo (Swinney) down at Clemson, undefeated two years in a row. Bronco (Mendenhall) at Virginia. All of my assistant coaches all the way down to the grad student coaches and, of course, the players.”

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.