Louisville’s week of prep for SMU came with no shortage of talking points, and Monday’s press conference put the focus on the same issues that have been following the Cardinals around since the opener: penalties, quarterback pressure, and the kind of details that can swing a big ACC game.
Jeff Brohm didn’t dance around the penalty problem. After Louisville was flagged nine times for 82 yards against Ole Miss and then seven times for 90 yards against Villanova, the head coach said the staff has already spent plenty of time trying to clean it up.
“We've tried a lot of things. We probably talked about it last week maybe too much. Maybe because we can't talk about it anymore,” Brohm said.
He was especially bothered by the 15-yard mistakes, pointing to the unnecessary roughness penalty against Villanova. Brohm made it clear those kinds of lapses can’t keep happening.
“Just foolish things we have to be smarter about, and there has to be consequences when you do those things, whether it's coming out of the game, or whether it's punishment or even more so punishment we can do after the game.”
The weather is going to add another layer to the afternoon. Saturday’s forecast calls for a high of 95 degrees with mostly sunny skies and a very high UV index, and Louisville expects to deal with serious heat all week in practice as well.
Tuesday could climb to 98 degrees, with similar conditions expected for much of the rest of the week. Brohm said the team will lean on extra fans, the option to change uniforms, and the usual emphasis on hydration.
On the field, the challenge is obvious. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has opened the season on fire, going 40-for-52 for 767 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions in two games. Brohm didn’t hesitate when asked about him.
“I think he's really good. I mean, really good, one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” Brohm said, also calling him “at least one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the country.”
Louisville has already seen what Jennings can do. The Cardinals are 0-2 against SMU since the Mustangs joined the ACC, and Jennings has been a major reason why. Over the last two meetings, he’s completed 78% of his passes for 584 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, while also adding more than 100 rushing yards and two scores.
“His experience and his ability to extend the play with his legs has crushed us the last couple years,” Brohm said. “We have to do the best job we can this year to contain him as well as we can.”
Louisville’s own quarterback situation has helped the defense prepare. Lincoln Kienholz has given the Cards a dual-threat look in practice while putting together a strong start of his own, setting up a matchup that should be one of the more intriguing quarterback duels of the weekend.
There was also some movement on the injury front. Kalib Perry was granted temporary eligibility on Monday, and Brohm said defensive tackle Demeco Kennedy “probably will not be able to go” against SMU. He added that running back Keyjuan Brown, right tackle Cason Henry, and defensive lineman Bailey Abercrombie are hopeful returns this week.
And while the heat and the matchup will get most of the attention, Brohm is also expecting the atmosphere at L&N Stadium to matter. He called Saturday a big conference game and said it’s the first of nine home league games that Louisville needs to take advantage of.
“If I am a fan, you would love to see great competition, and we definitely have that coming into our stadium,” Brohm said. “It's a big game because it's a conference game; first one of nine coming up that you have to take advantage of when you play at home.
You need to win your home slate and take advantage of the crowd and them being into it, helping us create some confusion and some penalties on their side because of a lack of communication because of the noise. All those little things matter.
So we will do our best this week to take advantage of it. I know they will show out and show up for the 3:30 p.m.
ET kickoff.”
Louisville is also looking for its third straight home win, with the Cardinals reaching back to the 41-0 win over Kentucky last November as part of that push.
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