Local

Thousands attend Russell Athletic Bowl at Citrus Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of fans packed the Citrus Bowl for the Russell Athletic Bowl game Saturday, where the Louisville Cardinals took on the Miami Hurricanes.

Football fans were tailgating outside the Citrus Bowl for hours leading up to the 6:45 p.m. kickoff.

"I wanted to come down this year because I have a friend down here, plus I want to support my team," Louisville alum Jeff Luckett said.

At the 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl, Virginia Tech played Rutgers and 48,000 people attended the game. Saturday's attendance numbers are expected to beat that.

"This one is doing very well as expected. I think we will be in the 50,000's again," Steve Hogan with Florida Citrus Sports said.

The Russell Athletic Bowl and Capital One Bowl together are expected to pump between $80-$100 million into the local economy.