LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – So, now what?
A Louisville football program that grew accustomed to pulling out close games a year ago – so many, in fact that it went all the way to the ACC Championship game – will not make a return to that game this season.
Jeff Brohm still has a talented football team. But at 4-3, (2-2 in the ACC) he just doesn’t have a great deal to show for it after seven games, and will have to put in a good bit of work to turn around its close-game fortunes to get to any kind of desirable bowl destination.
It has lost three of its last four games – all decided by one score, all of the losses against teams now ranked in the AP Top 25.
The latest, a 52-45 loss to No. 6-ranked Miami, wasted a sparkling offensive effort – particularly from transfer quarterback Tyler Shough – and further put a spotlight on Louisville’s defensive deficiencies, particularly against top-notch quarterbacks who can diagnose coverages well.
Miami is the No. 1 offense in college football. Louisville figured to struggle, even on a good day. But Saturday was not a good day. The Cardinals can’t seem to get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and seem reluctant to roll the dice on blitzes.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward scrambles. Miami Football at University of Louisville on Oct. 19, 2024, at L&N Stadium in Louisville, K.Y. (Ariana Shchuka/WDRB News)
Which leaves two main questions. What is happening? And what happens next?
Let’s take the first, well, first. What has happened to a defensive line that coaches felt would be much deeper before the season started?
One thing that Louisville did a good job of last season was putting opponents on their heels. The Cardinals were able to get leads in games, and even in close games, when they did that, it provided defensive coaches a bit more security when it came to dialing up blitzes or other defenses generally viewed as more risky.
I don’t know if that’s why the defense feels more conservative now, but whatever the case, Louisville isn't putting any pressure on opponents at the point of attack.
It's also worth noting that Louisville is playing better opponents. Miami – top offense in the country, statistically. SMU – really talented with a dual-threat QB. Notre Dame – nationally ranked with playoff aspirations.
Louisville is facing consistently better offenses, with better quarterbacks, than it has in a while. It shows.
When Brohm has talked about the defense, he seems to be looking for a more aggressive approach.
“I think we can play better so that is disappointing,” Brohm said of his defense on Saturday. “I think we can challenge things more. They were able to move the ball at will for the most part. We had a couple good stops there in the middle of the game, that was good. We were able to get a couple sacks, but we are giving up way too many big plays. We gave up way too many big rushes. We weren’t able to tackle people to the ground late in the game. We weren’t able to bring people down when we needed to. So those are things we have to get fixed if we want to try and win football games.”
In terms of what the adjustments will be, Brohm offered few specifics, only to say that he does want to see changes. Whether that means changes in personnel or scheme, or all of the above, Brohm didn’t say. A change in staff is not likely – particularly during the season, and particularly in a short week.
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm makes a point to an official during a 2024 loss at Notre Dame.
“We need to adjust, there are some things we need to do differently,” he said. “As the head coach, it’s my job to make sure those things get done. I think our guys are working hard, we tried to correct some things the last two weeks. I do think our coaches have put the effort in. I just think we’re going to have to continue to change some things and I’m going to have to make sure that those changes get done and we go out there and try to get better. We’ve tried to take the approach that we need to challenge things, guard things tighter, make them make plays. . . . That needs to happen from play one to the very end, and if we lose, we need to lose challenging things and getting beat in one-on-one matchups. Obviously, you’ve got to have some intelligence in that and make sure you're not overboard in that. But I just feel like we can defend things better. So, we have to get a better plan.”
So where does Louisville go from here?
By all accounts, the team remains engaged. It has given itself a chance against three ranked opponents. It has a quarterback playing at a very high level in Tyler Shough, some big-time receivers, and a rising star in running back Isaac Brown.
The offense played its best game of the season against Miami, with the exception of a fumble by Brown that gave Miami a touchdown, and several dropped passes. The 42 points it scored against Miami were the most Louisville has ever scored in a regulation loss.
Miami Football at University of Louisville on Oct. 19, 2024, at L&N Stadium in Louisville, K.Y. (Ariana Shchuka/WDRB News)
“Nobody’s hanging their head,” Shough said. “. . . it sucks and it stings, and we’ve got to find a way to fix some things. But I love that group in that locker room right there, and those guys are awesome coaches included, so we’ll be good. It's part of football. It’s a long season.”
Louisville has five games remaining, and four of them are on the road. They head to Boston College Friday night, then travel to No. 10 Clemson before a bye week. Out of the bye, the visit Stanford, then face Pittsburgh at home before ending the season at Kentucky.
For Brohm’s part, he noted that the question isn’t what his team will do the rest of the season, it’s about what it will do on Friday night in its next game. His first sentence, here, was reminiscent of Schellenberger – whose bronzed boots serve as a traveling trophy in the series.
“Well, we want it to sting,” he said. “We want to taste the wound, and we want to really despise the taste -- because it's a really awful taste. The thing I will say, our guys do care. They work hard. They want to win. It just hasn't happened. So, with that said, we preach all year long, it's a one-game season, whether you're 7-0, or 4-3 or whatever it is, 1-6, you've got to come back the next week and play one game the best you can. So, if you can't concentrate and do that, and you're not tough enough to withstand the adversity along the way and the highs along the way, then you're not going to be a good football player. We tell them it’s a team sport. No matter how good one player plays, all 11 on the field have to do it at the same time, and when that doesn't happen, you will not win -- no matter how well one player plays. So, I just think we all have to buckle down, grind this thing out and find ways to improve.”
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