Louisville football head coach Jeff Brohm knows that the little things will make a massive difference in big games.
Assessing chances of a record year
It’s not out of the realm of possibility for Louisville football to enter the College Football Playoff discussion sooner rather than later.
After a 3-0 start, Louisville boasts wins over two power five opponents and has a top-10 offense nationally.
The Cards rank in the top 35 in scoring defense, top 50 in 3rd down defense, and top 15 in 4th down defense.
Let’s be clear: There is a long way to go before the Cards should be compared to teams like those fielded in 2016, 2014, 2013, 2006, 2004… etc.
The last time the Cards had a 3-0 start, they did so with surgical precision winning by an average score of 66-21- Including a blowout of then-No. 2 Florida State. That is a far cry from Louisville’s tight wins over Georgia Tech and Indiana- Two teams projected in the bottom half of their perspective conferences.
Looking ahead, however, Louisville football faces a manageable schedule. No. 20 Miami is the Cardinals’ only ranked road opponent remaining. UofL gets No. 8 Notre Dame No. 18 Duke at home along with rival Kentucky. No Clemson on the horizon. No Florida State. Nor North Carolina. That’s an opportunity that may not come about again for another decade- If ever.
ESPN FPI ranks Louisville’s remaining schedule as the 60th most difficult in all of college football. ESPN gives Louisville the 4th-best odds to win the ACC Championship, while every Vegas sportsbook gives the Cards the 6th-best odds of winning the conference.
What that means for Louisville football is that, for the first time in 7 years, head coach Jeff Brohm has the Cardinals in position to make a run at a special season.
We are only a quarter of the way through, but the opportunity to continue racking up wins never seemed more within reach.
The next step for Louisville football
But, what would it take for Louisville football to take the next step? How can they notch wins over quality opponents while taking care of business in dominant fashion against less talented teams?
For Jeff Brohm and the Cards, it starts with the little things.
“We have to find ways to make a few more plays in them and score a few more points than them,” Brohm said while previewing Boston College on Monday. “So I just think, eliminating big mistakes, the turnovers, not giving up big plays, being smart in how we play the game, all those things matter. Being efficient on special teams, all those things matter. And if you do that, then hopefully in the end you have more points than they do. That’s what this game is about in my opinion, that the small details matter. While you want to try to win every rep, you’re not, you just have to win more than they do.”
For Louisville football, one possession could completely shift the fate of the season- for better or worse.
That’s what this game is about in my opinion: That the small details matter.
Louisville football head coach, Jeff Brohm
We saw just how close things can get in Saturday’s 7-point win over Indiana.
With the game seemingly in its grasp up 21 points at the half, Louisville allowed the Hoosiers to recover an onside kick. Three plays later, IU found the endzone, seizing momentum for the next 25 minutes of gameplay.
It took a fourth and inches stop from the Cardinals on Indiana’s final drive to stop the bleeding.
Saturday was an ugly juxtaposition of two halves.
The Cards scored 21 points while allowing 0 in a first half which saw them commit only 1 penalty for 5 yards. UofL forced a turnover while committing none and racked up 302 total yards to IU’s 107.
In the second half, Louisville football scored 0 points, allowing 14. They committed 5 penalties for 45 yards and turned the ball over. The Cards also had a shanked punt out of bounds and allowed the Hoosiers to rack up 250 yards to their 120.
Of course, there were plays that simply did not fall Louisville’s way.
Plummer’s second-half interception was a pass that bounced off intended receiver Kevin Coleman’s chest and into the arms of a waiting defender.
Two plays after recovering the onside kick in the second half, Indiana running back Josh Henderson fumbled the ball and it ricocheted directly into the hands of a teammate.
On the following possession, the Cards had a 57-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Thrash called back due to a holding call.
Luck was not on Louisville’s side in the second half. However, if the Cards took care of business by doing the small things right, the outcome would most assuredly have been more lopsided.
The same could be said of Louisville’s comeback victory against Georgia Tech to start the season.
Simple mental lapses, penalties, blown coverages, and correctable mistakes dug a hole the Cardinals had to find their way out of. That cannot continue if this team wants to make a serious run at an undefeated season.
In the pursuit of perfection, the small details will loom large for Jeff Brohm and Louisville football.
