BOZICH | Duke, former Louisville players witness Brohm's magic in Cards' 23-0 win

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Linebacker Otis Wilson, a Super Bowl winner with the Chicago Bears, flashed a thumbs up appreciation for the football he saw from Jeff Brohm’s University of Louisville football team as the Cardinals overwhelmed Duke, 23-0, Saturday afternoon at L&N Cardinal Stadium.

Ditto for Tom Andrews. Like Wilson, Andrews is a former Bear and former U of L standout. “Tremendous,” Andrews said.

Make sure you add Art Carmody, the kicker on the Cards’ 2006 Orange Bowl winners, to the list.

“Jeff’s done a great job making sure the former players feel welcomed,” Carmody said. “And coaching this team.”

More than 350 former U of L football players returned for a party prior to the Cards’ Homecoming game with Duke. No misprint.

More than three-hundred-fifty.

Michael Bush, Mario Urrutia, Bilal Powell, Doug Beaumont and others showed up. Bob Weber players. Howard Schnellenberger players. John L. Smith players. Charlie Strong players.

Then, when the serious blocking and tackling began, those players were part of a crowd of 52,319, plus a national ESPN TV audience, that saw what the Atlantic Coast Conference has seen from Brohm and his players all season.

A poised and powerful performance as the Cardinals improved to 7-1, enhanced their position as a primary contender for a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and beat Duke as decisively as the No. 20 Blue Devils have been defeated all season.

Score it as the first time Duke has been shutout since Oct. 16, 2021. Check the updated ACC standings where Brohm's team sits alone in second place with a favorable path to join Florida State in the ACC title game.

"We want to present a brand of physicality that is unmatched," U of L defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte said.

"I thought it was a really tremendous performance by our team today," Brohm said. "They really rose to the challenge. It's never fun to go into a bye week after a tough loss. 

"I hated it. Our players hated it. I think in order to be a good winner you have go really hate to lose."

Look for the Cards to jump several spots from their perch at No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Sunday. Look for Louisville to appear in the first batch of college football national playoff rankings Tuesday. Look for another year to be added to Brohm's contract, a provision that should keep him here through 2029.

And then look at the ACC standings. At 4-1, the Cards trail only 6-0 Florida State.  Virginia Tech sits at 3-1. North Carolina lost at Georgia Tech, 46-42, Saturday night. The Tar Heels became one the 6 teams with 2 ACC losses -- and Louisville has beaten 4 of them.

Truth is, Louisville made Duke look like the old Duke program that once asked out of a scheduled game against the Cardinals because the Blue Devils did not believe they could compete.

Brohm and his players will never say it, but I will: Losing halfback Jawhar Jordan to a tender hamstring during the Cards’ only loss at Pittsburgh two weeks ago is the primary thing that separates Louisville from being 8-0.

"That game is over," U of L quarterback Jack Plummer said. "We lost it. Obviously we would have loved to have Jawhar out  there. He's a really good player. We just have to move on from that."

That is what a good teammate says. The record says this:

Jordan carried twice for 8 yards before leaving the Pitt game that Louisville lost, 38-21. He was not available for the final three quarters in a game where the Cards were scoreless in the second half.

Against Duke, Jordan crackled to Louisville’s first two touchdowns, the first from 14 yards, the second from 23. He had 80 yards in the first quarter, 106 in the first half and 163 in the game.

Mark that down as a career best yardage as well as more evidence that Jordan is the best halfback in the ACC.

"When you give him some space, he's got some wiggle and some quickness and toughness as well," Brohm said. "When you hit him, he kind of gets right back up."

Don’t forget to credit coordinator Ron English and the Louisville defense. The 17-0 deficit was the largest halftime hole Duke faced all season. It was the first time Duke failed to score in the first three quarters this season.

The Cards limited the visitors to 202 yards, 4.1 per play. Before Saturday, Duke averaged 371.6 yards per game.

"They play a lot of different coverages and different fronts and blitzes and all that," Plummer said. 

"Obviously we have talented players at all positions on defense. It's good for us to watch them go out there and play well. It gives us confidence."

Playing on an injured ankle, Duke quarterback Riley Leonard labored through 56 minutes before he gave way to a backup. Leonard completed 9 of 23 passes for 121 yards with an interception. He ran for 13 yards on 10 carries.

It gets trickier next week for Louisville. The Cards will return to L&N Cardinal Stadium for another Saturday 3:30 p.m. game against surging Virginia Tech.

The Hokies have won 3 of their last 4, losing to only first-place Florida State. Tech beat Pitt by 17, Wake Forest by 17 and Syracuse by 28.

All of those wins, however, were in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Hokies are winless in 3 road games.

And Louisville is unbeaten in four home games, including the Cards’ undressing of Duke on Saturday, a performance that impressed the former U of L players who turned out to see what Brohm has created at Louisville.

I had to ask him why having the former players return was so important.

"Well, that's what it's all about, really," Brohm said.

"Guys put the blood, sweat and tears into helping this program. All of them love it here. A lot of them still live here.

"Some of them have moved on, but they love coming back. To see them be here and put on a special performance, you know this is a special place ...

"... I hope they enjoyed this as much as we did. You know we've got to continue to keep pushing this thing forward. But you know, all the help that they give us is tremendous and we'll keep asking for it."

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