Week 3 brings a heavyweight ACC matchup to Louisville, and Jeff Brohm isn’t pretending otherwise.
No. 23 Louisville, sitting at 1-1, hosts No.
16 SMU on Saturday in a game that carries plenty of buzz and a little edge, with the Cardinals installed as a 2.5-point favorite. ESPN2 will have the broadcast.
Brohm spent part of his weekly press conference laying out the challenge in front of his team, and the message was clear: SMU has earned its ranking. The Mustangs arrive at 2-0 and lead the nation in passing yards at 442.0 per game, while ranking seventh in total offense at 566.0. Louisville has been just as dangerous through the air, checking in ninth nationally in passing yards at 341.0 and 10th in total offense at 552.0.
“We’re looking forward to starting conference play this week. We have a great opponent coming in here in SMU that we’ve not beat since we’ve played them, so a credit to them for playing good football, coaching well, putting a good plan together, executing and doing all those things.
They’re playing very well right now, have a lot of weapons, do a good job on both sides of the ball, have a quarterback with a ton of experience that’s hard to contain, hard to stop, so we’ll have our hands full. This is one of nine conference games coming up and then of course our rival at the end, so we’ve got a lot of really tough football games coming up and that starts this week.
We get to at least play at home in front of our fans in a big time environment against a ranked opponent. I think we’ll have a good week at practice, get our guys ready to go and try to come out here, compete and win the football game.”
Brohm also gave an update on Keyjuan Brown, saying Louisville is still holding out hope he’ll be available.
“We’re hopeful he’ll be back for this Saturday’s game is where we’re at right now. I’m hopeful that that will happen and hopefully anticipate that happening.”
In Other News...
Louisville Faces One Problem That Could Decide The SMU Game
Louisville spent part of its week trying to clean up the kind of mistakes that can tilt a conference game before it really gets going. Jeff Brohm and several Cardinals spoke ahead of the matchup with SMU, with penalties remaining a concern and the heat also part of the conversation as the team prepares for a tough road environment. There is some help on the way, too, with a few injured players trending toward returns, including Kalib Perry after he was granted temporary eligibility.
The bigger issue, though, is the one SMU brings at quarterback. Kevin Jennings has been a problem for Louisville in previous meetings, and Brohm made it clear the Cardinals have to do a much better job of keeping him from taking over the game again. With the Mustangs tempo, Jennings dual-threat ability and Louisville still sorting through its health, this matchup may come down to whether the Cardinals can stay disciplined long enough to make SMU play on their terms. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Could Get A Big Boost Before Its First Real ACC Test
Louisville opened the season with a runaway win over Villanova, and now the attention shifts quickly to a much bigger stage. Before Saturdays trip to face SMU, Jeff Brohm offered an encouraging update on running back Keyjuan Brown, a potential lift as the Cardinals prepare for their first real ACC test and their first chance to beat the Mustangs since joining the league.
Browns status matters because Louisville has already shown it can put points on the board, but the next step is doing it against a conference opponent with more on the line. The Cardinals are still early in the process of figuring out their rotation, and any added backfield help would only make that challenge easier as they head into a game that could tell them a lot about where they stand. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Defense Faces A Major Test Against SMUs Tempo Attack
SMUs tempo has a way of testing every layer of a defense, and Louisville is bracing for one of its sharpest challenges yet when the Cardinals line up against the Mustangs top-ranked passing attack. Quarterback Kevin Jennings sits at the center of it all, and Louisville co-defensive coordinator Steve Ellis has made it clear that the defensive front will have to stay disciplined if it wants to handle the speed of the game and the volume of throws coming its way.
For Louisville, the task is as much about endurance as it is execution. Ellis has pointed to the need for proper pass-rush lanes and keeping Jennings under control, whether hes working from the pocket or looking to extend plays, while the Cardinals also expect to lean on a deeper rotation as they manage the pace and the hot, muggy conditions. Its the kind of matchup that can expose one missed assignment in a hurry, which is exactly why Louisvilles defense is treating every snap like it could swing the night. [Read more 🡒]