As Louisville football enters Year 3 under Jeff Brohm, the Cardinals face pivotal questions on the offensive line, at quarterback, and on defense that could determine whether they contend for an ACC title or fall short of playoff dreams.
- The Louisville football offensive line could make or break one of the nation’s most dangerous rushing attacks.
- Transfer quarterback Miller Moss is the key to unlocking Louisville football’s playoff potential in 2025.
- Louisville football’s defense must improve after costly mistakes in 2024 to compete for an ACC title.
- Games against Clemson, Miami, and SMU will decide whether Louisville football reaches the College Football Playoff conversation.
As Louisville football prepares for its third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, the expectations are equal parts excitement and uncertainty. While some critics think that the Cards could compete for a dark horse spot in the college football playoff, others cite significant losses in a defense that cost them four close games last year and a debatable strength of schedule as precursors to disclude Brohm’s Cards.
Many would prefer, instead, to stack the playoff with SEC media darlings. I’ve come up with a few key areas of uncertainty in which, if the Cards can grind through and prove themselves, the program as a whole will be moved forward to the hallowed ground where generational greatness is the goal.
If they can prove their detractors wrong, they will undoubtedly advance to the next proverbial down marker, taking their place amongst perennial powerhouses and competing for national championships. I call this segment First and Then.
FIRST, AND THEN…
If the offensive line is serviceable, Then Louisville will have the most potent run offense in college football.
According to Head Coach Jeff Brohm, his offensive line currently has seven to nine interchangeable pieces that are ready to go. The front five will likely look like this opening weekend:
Mak Pounders– left tackle from Mississippi State, 310 pounds
Lance Robinson– left guard from Houston, 290 pounds
Pete Nygra– center from Northern Illinois, 300 pounds
Rasheed Miller– right guard from Georgia Southern, 310 pounds
Mahamane Moussa– right tackle from Purdue, 305 pounds
As you can see, the line is a ragtag group from all over the spectrum of college conferences, average weight 303 pounds. Compare that with preseason #1 Texas at 322.8, ACC preseason favorites Clemson at 309, Miami at 316, or SMU at 311.6.
So the Cards are slightly undersized, and it’s the first Fall under Jeff Brohm for some of them. While this doesn’t bode well on paper, the line fortunately doesn’t have to be exceptional.
Louisville football has both speed and power with enormous talent in their backfield, in Isaac Brown and Duke Watson. If the line can be counted on to create tiny windows for their backs, Brown and Watson are all but guaranteed to get to and through the second level of the defense (Brown 7.1 YPC, Watson 8.9 YPC 2024).
The Cards start the season with three winnable games against EKU, James Madison (who is a respectable opponent, but should be a win if the Cards take care of business), and Bowling Green.
Hopefully Brohm and offensive line coach Richard Owens can work out any kinks during this first month, and the line will be a cohesive, well-oiled machine by the time the team rolls into Pittsburgh. Louisville football has a ton of playmakers at the skill positions, but without a competent line, that talent can be wasted. I’ll never forget Dave Ragone’s senior year: he was an outside candidate for the Heisman going into it, but spent the whole season getting pummeled because he had no protection.
It should be noted that he took it like an absolute champion. Talent can be a potent ally, but only if it has an opening to penetrate; otherwise, you’re literally banging your head against wall.
SECOND, AND THEN…
If Miller Moss can eliminate mental mistakes, then he will be the best quarterback of Brohm’s tenure at UofL.
If there is one thing Louisville football fans know about Miller Moss, it’s that the guy absolutely has the potential for greatness. It was only 20 months ago that he torched the Cards as a USC Trojan in the 2023 Holiday Bowl, connecting on 23 of 33 passes for 372 yards and an eye-popping 6 touchdowns. 2024, however, was a disappointing year for Moss.
He threw for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns, but gave up 9 interceptions (7 in his final 5 starts). Following a 3 interception performance against Washington, the Trojans benched Moss in favor of Jayden Maiava, whom Moss had beaten for the job earlier that Fall.
So Miller has a chip on his shoulder, and critics to silence. He is the exact prototype of quarterback that Brohm has employed, with success, since taking the job at his Alma Mater in 2023. In Tyler Shough, Jack Plummer, and now Miller Moss, Brohm selected a seasoned veteran who had been plagued by misfortune as a collegiate football player. Brohm’s ability to reinvigorate the finale of these quarterbacks’ careers is why some analysts have dubbed him “the quarterback whisperer.”
Nobody expected Tyler Shough to go pro at the start of last year. Shough threw for 746 yards and 7 touchdowns in his final season at Texas Tech, before transferring to Louisville. Compare that with his sole year under Brohm’s system, when he amassed 2,195 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Moss might not have the arm strength of Shough, and is not known for his mobility, but he doesn’t need to move mountains to be Brohm’s best. If he can manage to pass efficiently and avoid turnovers, the one-two punch of the Cards’ running game should provide Moss with ample opportunities to make plays in play action, and hopefully connect on deep throws against man coverage.
The Cards have a loaded receiver core, and Chris Bell looks to have an NFL-worthy season. Again, all of this depends largely on the ability of the offensive line to protect and provide paths. If they can, Moss merely has to be competent. If he enjoys the kinds of evolution Shough did, then Brian Brohm’s offense will put up numbers akin to when Brohm himself was under center, and Moss could potentially go out with a bigger, better bang than both Tyler Shough and Jack Plummer.
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THIRD, AND THEN…
If the defense can hold teams under 25 points a game, then the Cards will play for the ACC Championship.
Barring a complete meltdown on the line, the Cards should be one of the most formidable scoring teams in college football. That being said, there remain major questions on the defensive side of things.
Some Cards’ fans were calling for Defensive Coordinator Ron English’s job this offseason, after mistakes and miscues were largely responsible for four close losses in 2024. Last year’s team allowed 24.1 points per game (57th) while scoring 36.5 (7th) against a schedule that was undoubtedly more difficult.
If the absence of leaders like Ashton Gillotte and a depleted secondary can be offset by a transfer class and a schedule that lacks a Notre Dame and only has four road games, the Cards will be in an excellent position to compete for an ACC Title.
Defense will never be what this team does best. If they can produce similar numbers against a more favorable schedule, Brohm could be looking at a double digit win season.
Hopefully, by October, English’s defense will have an identity, so that victory doesn’t come only by way of offensive shootouts.
FOURTH, AND THEN…
If the Cards can win two games between Clemson, Miami, and SMU, they will earned a playoff spot.
There are three games Cards’ fans should circle: October 17th at Miami, November 14th against Clemson, and November 22nd at SMU (the Kentucky game, on November 22nd, shouldn’t be circled so much as covered in spit and fecal matter). These three games are far from the only challenges on the schedule: however, James Madison is much more formidable than the casual football fan would think. Pittsburgh in week 5 will be a test, as will Boston College and Virginia Tech. And never underestimate the power of the Governor’s Cup rivalry. Truly, there are too many uncertainties on Louisville’s offensive line and defensive secondary to overlook anybody, but how the Cards fare against the Tigers, Hurricanes, and Mustangs will define the best version of their season.
Clemson is stacked, eager to avenge their loss at home against Louisville last year, have the best quarterback in the ACC with Cade Klubnik, and are the outright favorite to win the conference. Miami had the best statistical offense in the nation last year, scoring 43.9 points a game on 537 yards of total offense. They add to that a revamped defense, eager to prove itself after a 2024 that was carried entirely on the other side of the ball. Then there is SMU. The Mustangs bested Louisville at L&N Stadium last year behind the stellar play of quarterback Kevin Jennings. Jennings is back this year, and will undoubtedly add more pocket poise to his already effective mobility.
If Louisville can come out of two of these matchups with victories, the chances of a two, or one, loss season becomes very real. Were they able to have a season of this caliber, it would be impossible to avoid consideration for a playoff berth. Should this happen, the program will advance to the next metaphorical down marker, and begin to work towards and entirely new, and loftier, set of goals…
CARDS. FIRST. DOWN!
FIRST, AND THEN…
If Jeff Brohm finishes his career at UofL, then he will fulfill Howard Schnellenberger Prophecy.
“This program is on a collision course with the National Championship. The only variable is time.”
Howard Schnellenburger made this prediction at his introductory press conference as the Cardinal Head Coach in 1985. Three years later, he recruited a local young man who turned down the opportunity to play professional baseball at the age of 19 to quarterback Schnellenberger’s Cardinals long before the days when college footballers got paid (over the table, anyways).
That young man was Jeff Brohm. Louisville and Brohm parted ways in 1993, with Brohm playing in the NFL, XFL, and ultimately becoming a head coach, first at Western Kentucky and Purdue.
The top spot in Cardinal football was held by Ron Cooper, John L. Smith, Bobby Petrino (twice), Steve Kragthorpe, Charlie Strong, and Scott Satterfield in the 30 years following Brohm’s graduation.
Brohm returned in 2023, pulling the program immediately back into national relevance following the dark days after the dismissal of Tom Jurich, the Athletic Director who lifted the entire department into the limelight. Floyd Street was christened Tom Jurich Way this summer. Schnellenburger’s quarterback has his team poised to compete for a spot in the college football playoff.
The stage seems set for the prophecy’s fulfillment, and, though time has always been the only variable, that variable feels nearer and now-er, more than ever!
Also read on The State of Louisville
- Louisville Baseball Opponent Preview: Morehead State Eagles
- Louisville Baseball Opponent Preview: Central Michigan Chippewas
- Louisville Baseball Opponent Preview: Eastern Kentucky Colonels
- Louisville Baseball Preview: Amegy Bank College Baseball Classic
- Louisville Baseball Opponent Preview: Xavier Musketeers
- Louisville Baseball: Cards Get Humbled in Opening Series with Michigan State
