LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The view from outside the University of Louisville football locker room should be confetti and balloons.
The Cardinals won 10 games in a season when the wise guys projected 8 victories. They finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference after being forecast to finish eighth.
You can find Jeff Brohm’s 10-3 team at No. 15 in the college football playoff poll and 16th in the Associated Press Top 25. In August, the Cards were No. 35.
Only No. 9 Missouri and No. 14 Arizona did a better job of going from nowhere to somewhere.
It’s too soon for that kind of talk for Brohm. Hold off until Dec. 28.
The sting from last Saturday’s wobbly offensive performance in the 16-6 loss to Florida State in the ACC title game has not left the Schnellenberger Football Complex. Brohm is still irked his team came from ahead to give the Governor’s Cup to Kentucky.
There’s one remedy: Beat Southern Cal and its national championship/Heisman Trophy pedigree in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California, Dec. 27.
No talk about which players are opting out. No discussion about the disappointment of missing the Orange Bowl. No moaning about being away from friends and family over Christmas.
Win the game — and finish this season on a one-game winning streak, not a three-game losing streak.
“Well, I am proud of our football team,” Brohm said. “I think that they really worked hard this year.
“They found a way to compete to win and play hard and win some close football games, find ways to improve and do some really good things. So that's great.
“We want to build off that, without question. I think our guys were into it and we got a chance, an opportunity to win a championship.
“The other side of it is a disappointing finish for myself. I wanted to win the last two games. Our team did and we didn't find a way to get that done.
“And you know, when you go to a championship game and you're right in the fourth quarter with the chance to take the lead and win and you can't get it done, it’s disappointing.
“We have to find a way to make those plays and to make those adjustments and figure out a way to win in the end.
“So, you know, it's not a great feeling for me, because I don't want to let anybody down. I've got work to do. I want to win.
“I think our players and our coaches do, too. We’ve got to take advantage of these opportunities when they come about.
“So I think it's gonna be important that you get the same hunger back, the same work ethic back, the same fire in your belly. That if you want to be great, you got to work at it and you gotta go produce come game day and that's just kind of what you’ve got to do.
“And if you do that, things take care of themselves. But if you worry about anything else, or lose confidence or lose that burning desire, then the results won't be good.”
Brohm said that he does not expect any UofL players to opt out of the bowl game, but he said decisions on the availability of halfback Jawhar Jordan and linebacker Ben Perry would be made closer to game day as they recover from injuries.
The Cardinals have been off since returning from Charlotte but will return to the practice field late next week. The coaches and staff members have worked long days on recruiting and checking players entering the transfer portal.
Southern Cal has not been as fortunate. Caleb Williams, the Trojans’ quarterback and the 2022 Heisman winner, will not play.
At least six other USC players have put their names in the transfer portal. Halfback MarShawn Lloyd, USC’s top running back, said he’s leaving for the NFL but plans to play against Louisville. That can change.
Las Vegas has noticed. Jeff Sagarin’s computer Predictor power formula often mirrors the betting line in Las Vegas. Sagarin Predictor favors USC by 4.00 points over UofL.
But the formula does not account for which players are performing and which ones are sitting. Las Vegas has reacted to that news. At DraftKings.com, Louisville was favored by 8 points on Friday afternoon.
It’s a game Louisville needs to win to move into the off season focused on its 11 victories instead of four defeats.
“I just think we’ve got to improve and get better,” Brohm said. “We need to figure out ways to score points.
“We’ve got to get our mojo back and play sound football and get guys to play hard and finish … we want to go out with a win.”
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
