2023 First Glance Preview: Week Three Louisville Cardinals
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Written by: TJ Inman
Week Three: Louisville Cardinals
Date & Time: Saturday, September 16 at Noon
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: BTN
Cardinals at a Glance
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm
Entering his first season as Louisville’s head coach
Record at Louisville: 0-0
Overall Record: 66-44 (30-10 at WKU, 36-34 at Purdue)
Last Season: 8-5 (6-3) for Brohm at Purdue, 8-5 (4-4) for Louisville
Cardinals Returning Leaders
Passing: Brock Domann – 76 for 141 (53.9%) for 958 yards with four TDs and six INTs
Rushing: Jawhar Jordan – 142 carries for 815 yards (5.74 yards per carry) with four TDs
Receiving: Ahmari Huggins-Bruce – 31 catches for 365 yards with two TDs
Tackles: Jarvis Brownlee Jr. – 67 tackles
Cardinals Preseason Predictions
Athlon: 7th in ACC
Lindy’s: 6th in ACC
Phil Steele: 6th in ACC
SP+: 36th nationally
Impact Newcomers for the Cardinals
-Jack Plummer – Quarterback transfer from California
-Transfers aplenty at WR: Jadon Thompson (Cincinnati), Jimmy Calloway (Tennessee), Kevin Coleman (Jackson State), Jamari Thrash (Georgia State), Joey Gatewood (Central Florida)
-TJ Capers – Edge rusher from Miami, Florida
Program Preview
The Louisville Cardinals have coveted Jeff Brohm for a long time. Brohm turned down the Cardinals four years ago and they turned to Scott Satterfield. After a poor start to the 2022 season, the Cardinals rebounded for a solid eight win season but the rumblings about Satterfield’s long-term future persisted. After the regular season ended, Luke Fickell surprised everyone by taking the Wisconsin head coaching job and his departure set off the dominoes. Satterfield left for Cincinnati and Louisville finally got their man as Jeff Brohm exited Purdue to “come home”. The Brohm family name is royalty in the area and Cardinal faithful finally have the man they believe can take the program to the next level. The schedule sets up nicely for his first season and the season win total is set at 8.5 at most sportsbooks. Louisville is considered a dark-horse to make a push for a spot in the ACC Championship Game and anything less than a nice bowl game would be considered a major disappointment in year one.
Offensive Preview
IU fans will be quite familiar with the Louisville offense when they see it on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in September. Jeff Brohm runs a timing based, volume passing attack that features vertical shots meant to challenge the opposing secondary again and again. The majority of his Purdue coaching staff migrated with Brohm from West Lafayette. The starting quarterback is expected to be transfer Jack Plummer. Plummer knows the offense from his time at Purdue. He was beat out by Aidan O’Connell and left for the PAC-12 to start for the Golden Bears. Plummer is a veteran that knows how to run the attack but he won’t add much as a mobile threat. The Cardinals turned to the transfer portal to replenish the wide receiver room and it’s a mystery on what that position group has to offer. Jamari Thrash, a transfer from Jackson State is the odds-on favorite to be WR1 and Jeff Brohm always finds difference makers at the wideout position. Running back should be a strength with duo Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner returning. Jordan averaged 5.74 yards per attempt last season and he should have plenty of room to run with defenses having to focus on the passing attack. The biggest concern for Louisville will be the offensive line. They lost three starters and are counting on more incoming transfers to step in and start. Michael Gonzalez is the best lineman they have but it’s not a great group and if teams can get consistent pressure on Plummer, the passing attack would be impacted.
Defensive Preview
Louisville ended up with a very solid defense in 2022 but they have to replace 40 tackles for loss and 23 sacks from the departure of a talented trio. Unquestionably, the biggest question mark for Louisville is going to be the defensive line. The Cardinals are switching to a 4-2-5 base formation and they brought in a lot of bodies to throw at the problem. Ashton Gillotte is the best returning defensive lineman and he’ll be relied upon to provide pass rush. The linebacker group was boosted by the addition of transfer Keith Brown (Oregon) and incoming freshman Stanquan Clark. There is buzz that both could start in the opener. The strength of the defense is on the backside with a number of returning players anchoring the unit. Josh Minkins, M.J. Griffin, Quincy Riley and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. all have starting experience and a few transfers add to the depth. The pass defense should be fairly strong but the Cardinals absolutely have to find a way to generate pass rush or any pass defense will be challenged. IU’s offensive line will be under constant focus this coming season and the Hoosiers should have an opportunity to have a good afternoon against the rebuilt Louisville defensive front.
Special Teams Preview
This part of the game could be an adventure for the Cardinals. Starting punter Mark Vassett transferred to Colorado to play for Deion Sanders. Late in the spring, James Turner, an excellent kicker, transferred to Michigan and will start for the Wolverines. Brock Travelstead handled kickoffs in 2022 and he’s expected to start as the place kicker but he has exactly zero field goal attempts in his career. This is a giant question mark for Louisville with no proven answers and if a game is close late or is to be decided by a key kick, the Cardinals could be at a disadvantage.