Louisville's Brohm considers multiple QBs at No. 2 Miami — but it’s not an indictment of Moss | U of L Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There's no point in burying the lede. On Jeff Brohm's weekly radio show Tuesday night, the coach was asked if he'd consider looking at other quarterbacks "to see how they do in game situations."

Brohm responded to host Paul Rogers, "Yeah, probably. Probably this game. We've always had a package of different plays. I've talked to the quarterbacks. It wouldn't shock me if we use certain quarterbacks for certain plays, whether it's this game or beyond, we'll see. But yes, we have a package for that."

As his team heads into a Friday night showdown at No. 2 Miami, it's an intriguing proposition. And it could well just be designed to give the Hurricanes something else to prepare for.

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But what it is not is an indictment of starter Miller Moss. In fact, the multiple QB package would not be an attempt to improve the passing game, which has accounted for 88 percent of Louisville's offense since ACC play began. Instead, it might be a move to jump-start the run game.

While Moss came under criticism for an ill-advised pick six he threw in the second half of Louisville's loss to Virginia, a ball he threw trying to avoid a sack, in general he has carried a high percentage of the offensive load for Louisville. And, Brohm said, the responsibility involved in that has forced him to press at times.

Moss has thrown for more than 300 yards in all but one game and his completion percentage (67.0) would rank as the sixth highest in program history for a season. But the dwindling running game over the past three games has been a problem, allowing defenses to sharpen their pass rush and tweak their pass coverage.

Brohm spent time with Moss after the Virginia game and came away emphasizing both the quarterback's investment, but also the need to throttle back the urge to do too much.

"He got emotional to me ... because he cares. And you know I like guys that care," Brohm told Rogers. "But there's a perfect balance… you've got to be able to relax on game day and do the small things and cut it loose and play."

Brohm's critique targeted the thin margin between extending and forcing a play — the kind of split-second choice that produced the ill-advised, falling-down pick-six against UVA.

"When he thinks he's got to do a little too much ... instead of taking the sack or throwing it away, (he) tries to make a play at the very end," Brohm said.

The fix, he added, is carrying over coached behaviors — scramble drill, step up and run, throw it away, or take the sack — into the moment.

Brohm is right that the good is there on tape. He noted Moss was around 80 percent in the first half against UVA and that Louisville didn't punt in that half. Through five games, Moss is 120-for-179 (67.0%) for 1,358 yards, seven TDs and four INTs. Over the past two outings (Pitt, Virginia) he's 67-for-99 for 668 yards and five TDs, while Chris Bell has caught 22 passes for 305 yards and three scores in that span. Big picture, Louisville sits top-25 nationally in passing yards per game (289).

That volume was not the blueprint in August. Brohm admitted the staff may have "passed it too much," stressing the need to re-establish the run to take pressure off the passing game. Injuries in the backfield and an offensive line still searching for its best five have tilted the call sheet; the result has been a pass game asked to carry more of the drive-to-drive load than planned.

The addition of a second quarterback package is much more likely to be an attempt to return some balance to the offense, most likely behind some reps for freshman quarterback Deuce Adams, a 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound dual-threat who has played in two games this season.

Adding another threat on the ground would give the running game some options. Whether Miami is a defense to roll that out against is another question. But clearly, Brohm didn't mind floating the possibility.

"We've got to get the running game going," Brohm said. "We've got to be able to take some pressure off of (the pass game). We've got to be able to have a little more balance. You know, all those things factor into it. Every team's different. Every game is different. One team is going to try to stop the run and load the box, (another is) going to try to play the pass. I think (Virginia), the second half, they started to play the pass more. And maybe we could have popped some runs in there, but we haven't been as effective running the ball. So, we've just got to get better at a lot of things. We're working hard at it, and I know we can do it. We've just got to continue to press forward. I think our guys have had a really good two weeks of practice."