LOUISVILLE — They came from the south, mostly from Florida and Georgia, 25 strong, heading north into unknown territory to play college football for a rookie head coach at a school with big-time dreams but little tradition.

They included a 15-year-old high school senior who became the youngest college player in the nation and a local hero who was one of the nation's most highly-coveted recruits.

They were University of Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino's first recruiting class and many will be playing their final game in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Saturday (noon, ESPN) against Connecticut hoping to put an exclamation point on UofL's most successful senior class in school history.

Eighteen of the players from the original class are still on the roster and eight of them will start against UConn as the No. 6 Cardinals (10-1, 5-1) try to send them off with the school's first Big East Conference championship and a possible Bowl Championship Series (BCS) berth.

Seven of the 2003 signees were redshirted and have one more year of eligibility. In all, UofL has 15 seniors, including junior college transfers Zach Anderson, a starting defensive end, and Nate Harris, the regular middle linebacker.

Louisviille's most renown senior, running back Michael Bush, is in limbo. Michael Bush suffered a broken leg early in the second half of the Cards' opening win over Kentucky and is eligible for a medical redshirt season next year.

However, Petrino said Monday that no decision has been made on whether Michael Bush will return for the 2007 season or enter the National Football League draft. Petrino said Michael Bush will participate in the pre-game ceremonies honoring the seniors.

"That would be a great thing if we had Michael back," Petrino said. "We probably won't know for a long time."

Michael Bush was the centerpiece of Petrino's first class and the last player to commit. No matter what happens against UConn (4-7, 1-5), the seniors will be the winningest group ever and will leave with some other major accomplishments.

They own a 39-9 record, have compiled a 21-1 record in Papa John's and boast a 17-game home winning streak. The Cards have been ranked in the Associated Press top 10 at some point for three straight years. Their current No. 6 ranking in the AP poll is their highest ever, as is their No. 6 status in the BCS standing. The seniors helped UofL win the 2004 Conference USA championship and the 2004 Liberty Bowl to finish the season 11-1 and their 35-24 loss to No. 12 Virginia Tech in last year's Gator Bowl marked the Cards' first appearance in a January bowl.

"It's going to be sad to see them go," Petrino said. "They've been a great crew, particularly this year, and they'll be a special group for a long time."

Petrino's first class was a rush job. Hired in late December to succeed John L. Smith after Smith left to take the Michigan State job, Petrino had to cram his initial recruiting efforts and assemble a staff with any free moment he could find while he was in Orlando with Auburn preparing for a bowl game as the Tigers' offensive coordinator.

"We were really scrambling," Petrino said. "We'd practice in the morning, then I'd spend the rest of the day and night on the phone talking to recruits, talking to coaches trying to put a staff together, really doing just about everything getting ready for this job. It was really a scramble, and then getting all the visits set up and seeing how it played out with the number of guys we could sign."

Three of Petrino's initial targets were a couple of Tallahassee, Fla., products — defensive back William Gay and running back Kolby Smith — along with defensive lineman Amobi Okoye from Huntsville, Ala. Petrino had been recruiting Gay and Smith for Auburn, and Okoye was familiar with UofL because Smith and his staff had been courting him.

Okoye was only 16 when he arrived on campus, but he played extensively as a freshman and sophomore, became a starter last season and now, at 19, is the Cards' defensive leader.

"I kept saying, 'Is he only 15 years old?' Petrino recalled. "It was really hard to believe he was that young."

Okoye, who will be starting his 19th game in a row Saturday, said he first attended a UofL football camp when he was 13 years old. He said he has watched film clips of many of his games as a Cardinal and had conversations with Smith, who was recently fired by the Spartans, and former assistant coach Mike Cox.

"It brought back memories of when I first got recruited and a lot of the old stuff about the feeling I had as a freshman," Okoye said. "I'm not that much of an emotional guy, but I think a lot of emotions will be going through me Saturday. It's going to be something; it will be crazy. I hope I don't cry.

"It's been everything I hoped it would be and how I envisioned it being when I first got here, with how the program has risen. It's a great blessing to be a part of it and now, hopefully, get a chance to go to a BCS bowl."

The other starters from Petrino's first class who will be bidding farewell to the home crowd are linebacker Abe Brown, offensive tackle Renardo Foster, cornerback Gay, offensive guard Kurt Quarterman, strong safety Brandon Sharp, cornerback Gavin Smart and running back Smith.

Quarterman holds two distinctions. He owns the longest consecutive streak as a starter (35) among current Cards, and at 6-5, 328 pounds, he is UofL's biggest starter.

Gay leads UofL in interceptions (five) and pass breakups (10) and is tied with senior linebacker and JUCO transfer Nate Harris for the tackles lead at 53. Sharp is the team's fourth-leading tackler (48) and is second in pass breakups with eight. Smith is UofL's leading rusher with 716 yards and has 1,717 yards and 18 touchdowns for his career.

"It's like four years in one month, it's gone by so fast," Smith said.

Smith said UofL first caught his eye when it upset No. 4 Florida State 26-20 in overtime in 2002, so he was somewhat familiar with the school when Petrino called.

"Growing up, I just knew Louisville as a basketball school," Smith said. "When they first got my attention was when they beat Florida State because I'm from Tallahassee. When I went to school the next day everybody was sick, but I was kind of proud because I really wasn't a Florida State fan. So I was excited when coach Petrino got the job here. He told me I could grow at Louisville. What I really loved was the type of offense he uses. That was pretty much what sold me."

Petrino redshirted seven players in the 2003 class who are now juniors eligibility-wise, including starters Harry Douglas (wide receiver), Malik Jackson (linebacker), Jon Russell (strong safety) and Danny Barlowe (offensive guard), plus part-time starting inebacker Preston Smith.

"I wish I had redshirted all of them; it would be nice to have them all back," Petrino said. "The leadership we've had from our seniors, the way they came back after the Rutgers game (a 25-25 loss) and the competitiveness they've shown has been a great example to our younger players."

Michael Bush UPDATE—As a true freshman, Michael Bush played quarterback, running back and wide receiver before settling in at running back as a sophomore. The former Male High standout led the nation in scoring last season, averaging 14.4 points per game while setting school records for rushing touchdowns (23) and points (144). If he never plays another game for UofL, he will leave No. 2 in career touchdowns with 41 (39 rushing, two receiving), and he has rushed for 2,508 yards.

"The impact Michael has had is hard to measure," Petrino said. "We probably won't know it for a long time. He's one of the first guys everybody talks about when you mention University of Louisville football. What's hard this year is each week we put our last year's game with the upcoming opponent on our cut-up video. So you're watching him run and I'm more amazed this year when he's not out there practicing or playing on how good he really is. You just wish he could have stayed healthy and had a great year, but he'll come back from it."

However, the big question is whether or not the comeback will be in a Louisville uniform. Petrino said Michael Bush will begin talking to NFL officials soon to determine his status for the draft next spring, but there has been no timetable set on when Michael Bush will make a decison about returning to the Cardinals.

"We'll see what his health is, what his chances are to run at the (NFL) combine," Petrino said. "He's improving a lot, but he still does have a limp and a ways to go."