Jeff Brohm spent Monday making one thing clear: Louisville is not standing still after the win over Florida State.
Speaking with reporters ahead of Saturday’s game against Syracuse, Brohm addressed the Cardinals’ offense, the shift in play-calling duties, the continued use of wristbands, and the team’s effort to cut down on penalties as the season moves on.
The biggest change came last Saturday, when offensive coordinator Brian Brohm handled the play-calling against FSU. Asked whether that setup would stick, Jeff Brohm said the Cardinals would “proceed accordingly” and stressed that the entire offensive staff has to stay aligned.
“Our offensive staff has to continue to do what they do and run the offense, execute the offense,” Brohm said. He also acknowledged that turning over that job was a major adjustment after years of doing it himself.
“I've probably robbed him of that [play-calling] opportunity for many years. I've called it for 14 straight years now, but Brian has been ready for a long time.
He's been with me, he knows the offense, he knows football, he is extremely smart, he was very sharp on Friday night along with the offensive staff.”
Brohm said giving up play-calling was tough because of how much he invests in it, but he also framed it as part of the bigger mission.
“That's something that I believe in, take pride in, and work hard at. At the same time, I understand that in order to win, we all have to be on the same page,” he said.
The Cardinals also used wristbands in the FSU game, and Brohm explained that the move was more practical than permanent. Louisville had already used them against SMU, though he said they may not have come into play much in that one because of SMU’s ability to steal signals effectively. He said the wristbands serve a few purposes: simplifying calls, speeding up communication, preventing opponents from stealing signals, and cleaning up times when Louisville has misread signals on the sideline.
“We will continue to have wristbands. We don't use them every play, but we can sporadically mix that in,” Brohm said.
Brohm also pointed to penalty reduction as another area Louisville is trying to clean up. The staff has worked repeatedly on the issue, showing examples of the damage penalties can cause and even bringing in officials a couple of weeks ago.
“We've tried to emphasize it and repeatedly show the negative effect it's had and teach and school them up,” he said. “Whether it's showing the replay, whether it's bringing officials, which we did a couple of weeks ago.
You have to have that total focus and concentration as we go through the game. It has to happen whether you are up or you are down.”
He said the fix comes down to relentless repetition and detail, especially in the little moments that can swing drives.
“Just at the last minute, a little extra effort, but when guys go to the sideline, you have to be able to pull off. They're going to call those things all the time, so we just got to continue to coach that and preach that,” he said.
“Just consistent repetitive talk and showing examples, they got to know that it'll get us beat, and you see it every week,” he said. “Every little play like that matters, and you can't have them.
So, we just got to continue to preach it every day.”
In Other News...
Louisville Just Took A Tough Recruiting Hit With Pat Kelsey Watching
Louisvilles recruiting board took a hit this week when five-star small forward Asa Montgomery canceled his upcoming official visits to the Cardinals and Arizona, according to reports. Montgomery remains one of the most coveted prospects in the country, and his original list of planned stops showed just how wide a net he was casting, with Louisville among a group that also included LSU, Florida, UConn, Providence, North Carolina and Duke.
For Pat Kelsey and his staff, losing the chance to host Montgomery only tightens the squeeze in a recruitment that already had plenty of heavyweight competition. Duke is now viewed as the favorite to land him, and with Louisville out of the immediate visit picture, the Cardinals will have to keep pressing from the sidelines and hope the conversation is not over yet. [Read more 🡒]
Louisvilles Fourth Quarter Over Florida State Looks Even Better On Film
Louisvilles fourth-quarter surge against Florida State looked decisive in real time, and the film only sharpened the picture. The Cardinals made timely adjustments on offense, with Lincoln Kienholz settling in and the run game providing the kind of balance that forced the Seminoles to defend every inch of the field. Isaac Brown and Braxton Jennings both showed up in key spots, giving Louisville the sort of complementary production that can turn a tight game into a statement finish.
On the other side of the ball, the tape highlighted how well Louisvilles defense managed the late-game pressure. Coverage sacks helped squeeze Florida States options, while the Cardinals positioning made it difficult for the Seminoles to find clean answers when the game started to tilt. The broader takeaway is simple enough: this was not just a matter of momentum, but of execution and coaching decisions showing up at the right time, which makes the fourth quarter look even more convincing the second time around. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Faces A Tricky Road Test At Syracuse With Plenty At Stake
Louisville heads to the JMA Wireless Dome for a Week 7 matchup with Syracuse carrying a 3-3 record and a fair amount riding on the trip. The Cardinals are favored by two touchdowns, but this is also their first chance to pick up a road win this season, which gives the game a little more edge than the spread might suggest. Add in the fact that both sides are dealing with a lengthy injury report, and the setting feels more complicated than a typical midseason conference date.
Syracuse has enough uncertainty of its own to make this one worth watching closely, with several players on both teams listed as out or questionable. For Louisville, the challenge is not just handling the road environment but doing so in a game where availability could shape the flow from the opening series. The Cardinals have the better paper case, but the kind of contest they get in Syracuse may tell a lot about how steady this team really is away from home. [Read more 🡒]