New Opponent, Familiar Coach: A Look into the Stats of a Familiar Matchup

Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

The history between the Indiana Hoosiers and Louisville Cardinals football programs is slim; the two schools have faced off just twice, with the Hoosiers coming out on top in both instances. That being said, it has been 37 years since the programs last played, so it will be a new opponent entirely for Indiana.

The face on the other sideline, however, will be quite familiar. Jeff Brohm left Purdue this offseason and has taken over the reigns at his alma mater. What should we expect to see from Brohm’s Cardinals? Well, the stats through two games indicate despite a new opponent, much will remain the same…

1,164

While Brohm certainly cares about the performance of his defense, he earns his paychecks through his offensive scheme, modeled after Bobby Petrino. The tempo-based offense will give defenses a variety of looks, featuring pro-style, spread, pistol, and I-formations, in addition to his patented trick plays. It is all about putting pressure on defenses and amassing yards, which he has accomplished through the first two games. After a 474-yard outburst in the season opener, the Cardinals added another 690 in week two – totaling a whopping 1,164 yards through two weeks, good for 4th nationally in total offense.

“He's an excellent play caller,” said Coach Allen about Brohm. “Followed his team for many years. He's one of the best in the whole country. And the good play callers usually they have a great feel. It's timing of when to call things. And he has a system, and they're not going away from that, but obviously adapts it to the personnel each year.”

23.2%

Speaking of personnel, Brohm’s offenses always incorporate an additional simple philosophy – feed the studs. Indiana fans will remember years in a row of dominant playmakers like Rondale Moore, David Bell, and Charlie Jones giving defenses fits. Brohm has continued that with Louisville. So far, Georgia State transfer Jamari Thrash appears to be the favorite target. Thrash has 10 receptions thus far, good for 23.2% of the team’s receptions, and has amassed 170 yards and three touchdowns on those receptions. He has also added a touchdown on the ground. Add in the fact that Jawhar Jordan (14 rushes, 231 yards, 3 TDs) has been keeping defenses honest in the run game, the pair has really been able to explode on offense.

"Well without question through two games, they have been playmakers for us," Brohm said following the win over Murray State. "Really throughout practice, and spring and summer and fall camp, they have displayed that. They prove it every day, they do not miss a rep of practice. Our team knows they lead by example as well. We have other playmakers also, but those two have definitely stood out.”

The duo has combined to produce 462 yards of offense. That equates to 39.7% of the Cardinals' offensive output, and seven of their 11 touchdowns. 

26

The final way Brohm’s offense will give defenses headaches is through explosive plays – any rush play that goes for 10+ yards or any passing play that goes for 20+ yards. Louisville already has 26 explosive plays on offense this year (11 passing, 15 rushing), all while they continue to figure out the quarterback position (five QBs have taken snaps for the Cardinals this season). Add in the fact that Louisville has taken just one sack thus far this year (8th best nationally) and allowed just three tackles for loss (3rd best nationally), and you find an offense that is even tougher to defend because it is rarely moving backwards.