The Jeff Brohm era began with a win on Friday in Atlanta, but heading into week two there is still plenty to learn about this year’s Louisville football team.
Jeff Brohm will get the homecoming that we have all been anticipating as he gets his first home game as the Louisville football coach.
The hope is that the fans will turn out in numbers we have not seen since COVID to officially welcome the First Family of Louisville home where they belong.
As we quickly move on from the excitement of last Friday, let’s now turn our attention to game two against the Murray State Racers.
First Down: What to Know
Who: Louisville Football vs Murray State
Where: L&N Cardinal Stadium
What: Black Out Game
When: Thursday, September 7th 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
How to Watch: ACC Network
How to Listen: 93.9 FM in Louisville
Series History: Louisville leads 14-6
Last Meeting: Louisville won 55-10 in Louisville in 2017
Spread Check: Louisville -40.5 / O/U 54.5
Thread Check:
Weather Check: 78 and partly cloudy at kickoff
Vibe Check: Stanley on Pretzel Day
Timeout: Get Hyped
From the Pink Seats Preview of Louisville football vs Murray State
Cards Tape: Georgia Tech
Second Down: Louisville Football Depth Chart
Entering week two, Jeff Brohm blessed us with an official depth chart.
Check it.
QB: Jack Plummer
RB: Jawhar Jordan
Maurice Turner
Isaac Guerendo
WR: Jamari Thrash
Jadon Thompson
WR: Jimmy Calloway OR Chris Bell
LT: Willie Tyler III
Trevonte Sylvester
LG: Michael Gonzales
John Paul Flores
C: Bryan Hudson
Austin Collins
RG: Renato Brown
Joshua Black
RT: Eric Miller
Vincent Lumia
DE: Ashton Gillotte
Ryheem Craig
Rodney McGraw
NT: Dezmond Tell OR Tawfiq Thomas
Selah Brown
DT: Ramon Puryear
Jeffery Clark OR Jermayne Lole OR Jared Dawson
Edge: Stephen Herron
Kameron Wilson
Popeye Williams OR Adonijah Green
ILB: Jaylin Alderman
Keith Brown
Stanquan Clark
ILB: TJ Quinn
Gilbert Frierson
Jackson Hamilton
Safety: Josh Minkins
Cam’Ron Kelly
Safety: Devin Neal
Cam’Ron Kelly
Punter: Brock Travelstead
Placekicker: Brock Travelstead
Nick Lopez
Kick Returner: Jawhar Jordan
Isaac Guerendo
Punt Returner: Kevin Coleman
Quincy Riley
Ahmari Huggins-Bruce
Third Down: What to Watch For
Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks
It took exactly one and a half quarters of the Georgia Tech game for the people around me in Atlanta to start clamoring for Pierce Clarkson to come in and be the savior. Although we all like to believe in fairy tale endings, the news I didn’t have the heart to break to the people around was that if we saw a second quarterback, it most likely wasn’t going to be Pierce.
Ideally, in the game on Thursday night, Louisville football will handle our business in the first half and give Jack some time off in the second. After that, we should get to see what the depth chart actually looks like for the most important position in sports. We know that Brock Domann is the primary backup, but after that everyone is just guessing.
The rumor has been that Harrison Bailey is the QB that the staff feels the most comfortable with behind Brock, but the crowd will be hoping to see the recruiter himself, Pierce Clarkson. With Jack, Brock, and Evan (attorneys at law) all graduating in May, hopefully, we will get to see a glimpse into what next year could be like with the younger guys.
Can we see some ID?
Although Pierce Clarkson was the cornerstone of last year’s Louisville football class, there were multiple other players who could be big-time contributors in their time here, and hopefully, we will get a look at some of them on Thursday.
We don’t need to remind you about the potential impact of stars like TJ Capers, Adonijah Green, Madden Sanker, and Stanquan Clark, but what other young guys could we see take the field Thursday night?
We spent the offseason talking about the importance of the Tight End position in a Jeff Brohm offense and in game one our Tight Ends had a grand total of zero catches. I still believe that the player with the most upside at the position is Freshman Jamari Johnson and I hope we get to see what he can do against Murray State. He is 6’5, weighs 265, and his size is noticeable when you see him on the field. He is a great red zone target and a player that I can see becoming more and more involved as the year goes on.
Another player that I believe can carve out a role on this year’s team is freshman Cataurus Hicks. He is only 5’9,” 160, but he is an explosive playmaker with game-breaking speed. Jeff thrives on scheming athletes into space and Hicks is a player that could break through in the AHB mold. Thursday night I want to see him get some touches and see what he can do with a live defense.
The tallest person on the team is 6 ‘8 Freshman Tackle, Luke Burgess. He was only a three-star kid coming out of high school and did not get much of the spotlight because of fellow freshman Madden Sanker on the line, but this kid is a gamer. He is someone who could step in immediately on the offensive line and fill in when needed. I want to see him in live game action because I believe he could be one of our starting tackles next year.
Taking Care of Business
In order for any of the above things to happen, you have to take care of business in the first half. No excuses. No slow starts. No sloppy play. This is the one game that you are clearly the better team and should have a massive advantage at every position.
You simply can not let this game be weird going into halftime. There are going to be people in the stands that are thrilled we got the win over GT, but are going to have some suppressed anxiety about how we looked in that second quarter. From the opening whistle, the starters’ job should be to put that fear away. Be up 30 at halftime so the young guys can get some action in the second half and we can all enjoy the Brohm homecoming. Just don’t make this weird.
Fourth Down: Predictions
The guys predict the final score and how many quarterbacks will play on Thursday
Matt McGavic
Louisville 59, Murray State 7
3 Quarterbacks
Jacob Lane
Louisville 52, Murray State 13
4 Quarterbacks
Vincent Lococo
Louisville 49, Murray State 10
2 Quarterbacks
Presley Meyer
Louisville 62, Murray State 16
3 Quarterbacks
