LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Keep your eyes on the offense. Watch the quarterback illuminate the scoreboard. Nobody does a better job of using the tight end. Wide receivers will always be positioned to make dazzling plays.
After decades of charting the playing and coaching career of Jeff Brohm, I thought I understood the Brohm scouting report as well as anybody:
The quarterback and passing game rule.
The rest is simply details.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Defense pic.twitter.com/16oiXi1PEc
— Eric Crawford (@ericcrawford) November 4, 2023
Ask Duke, Notre Dame, North Carolina State and five other teams Brohm’s first Louisville team has squashed this season.
Virginia Tech became the eighth team the Cards dispatched in 9 games. Louisville handled the Hokies, 34-3, at L&N Cardinal Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 49,945.
"I think we dominated in all 3 phases," said U of L halfback Isaac Guernedo.
"Our guys rose to the challenge and played a physical game with some guys nicked up," Brohm said.
Louisville is beating people with its relentless running game. The Cards ripped through Tech for 231 rushing yards. It was their fourth 200-yard rushing game this season.
Louisville is beating people with its powerful defense. Through nine games, the Cards are allowing 16.3 points per game. That’s the second lowest total in the Atlantic Coast Conference as well as the fewest points the Cards have allowed since the 2013 team limited opponents to 12.2.
It's also the first time Louisville has not allowed a touchdown in back-to-back games since November, 1980 -- when Jimmy Carter was President, George Rogers (South Carolina) won the Heisman and Bob Weber was the Cards' coach. Brohm was 9.
Louisville is beating people with its physical might. Their offensive and defensive lines win snap after snap after snap.
"We prepared hard in the off season to get a plan together, that we believed in," Brohm said. "Some of it's traditional. Some of it's not. We wanted to be multiple in what we did.
"I do think playing complimentary football (sound defense, strong running game) has helped us. We've gone back to pounding the ball, running the ball, controlling the clock.
"Trying to have positive plays and get up early and not have turnovers and not give (the opponent) something easy.
"When that happens, it allows our defense to tee off even more. I just think all those things matter."
This is not a knock against the quarterback play or the passing game. It’s been solid. Jack Plummer completed 11-of-12 throws for 141 yards and a touchdown before he gave way for Brock Domann in the fourth quarter of this mismatch.
But Louisville has put itself in consideration to be ranked one of the 10 best teams in the country with its grit, strength and physicality. The Cards (No. 13 in the college football playoff poll) should benefit from losses by No. 9 Oklahoma and perhaps No. 12 Missouri (which lost by 9 at top-ranked Georgia).
They indeed climbed to No. 11 in the ESPN Power Poll, overtaking Oklahoma and Missouri.
The defense was terrific. Mark it down as back-to-back games where Louisville has limited the opponent to a season low in points — a shutout of Duke last week, followed by limiting Tech to a second-quarter field goal.
Tech failed to generate more than 51 yards in any quarter. It averaged a meager 2.4 yards per rushing attempt, 2.7 yard per offensive play.
Louisville has not allowed a touchdown over the last 123:03 minutes after allowing 38 points in the only loss at Pittsburgh.
"That Pitt game, we didn't have the energy that we usually have," U of L defensive back Cam'Ron Kelly said. "You could tell. We watched the film.
"Basically we just looked at each other in the eyes and said that was never going to happen again ... we learned from that. Sometimes things have to get ugly before they get beautiful. And it's going to get real beautiful soon."
"We let ourselves slip, but we used that as fuel," Guerendo said.
The running game was superb, even with halfback Jawhar Jordan playing on a tender hamstring. The word before the game was that Jordan’s availability would be decided after pregame warmups.
Jordan played. Jordan carried the football on 7 of Louisville’s first 9 offensive plays, including the last 4 of a 49-yard drive that ended with Jordan dropping his shoulders and scoring from the 1-yard line.
But Jordan’s back-up, Guerendo, deserved a game ball. He scored 3 times — from 39, 12 and 36 yards. He had a 60-yard TD run wiped from the scoreboard by a holding call. Guerendo finished with 146 yards on only 11 carries.
"They just blocked their butts off," Guerendo said. "That feeling is unmatched when you see that green grass ahead of you and you just put the pedal to the metal."
The victory left Louisville alone in second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 5-1 record.
Beat Virginia here Thursday night and win Nov. 18 in Miami and Louisville will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game (for the first time in school history) on Dec. 2 in Charlotte, N.C.
A spot in the Orange Bowl or more would be in play, depending upon how crazy the rest of this season becomes.
Jeff Brohm’s running game and defense have ensured that.
"We understand that each and every week the bar gets raised, due to your performance," Brohm said. "And you have to come out and do it again.
"We challenge our guys each and every week. You can't rest on what happened last week or what you have done in the past. It's about what are you going to do in the future. That's what matters. That's what everyone wants to see."
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