NEW ORLEANS — Terell Floyd returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown on the first play, dual-threat quarterback Teddy Bridgewater directed several scoring drives and No. 22 Louisville surprised No. 4 Florida 33-23 Wednesday night in the Sugar Bowl.
Shaking off an early hit that flattened him and knocked off his helmet, Bridgewater came back to throw TD passes to DeVante Parker and Damian Copeland.
The two-touchdown underdogs from the Big East took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and were never caught. It certainly was a sweet win for Cardinals coach Charlie Strong — he was Florida’s defensive coordinator before leaving after the 2009 season and taking over Louisville.
Down 33-10 midway through the fourth period, the one-loss power from the Southeastern Conference tried to rally late on a 100-yard kickoff return by Andre Debose and a short touchdown pass in the closing minutes. Florida got no closer.