A new era of Louisville football starts Friday night at Georgia Tech
Three things of interest, if only to me:
A new Louisville football era begins
Louisville’s Jeff Brohm coaching era begins Friday in Atlanta. The Cards play Georgia Tech at Mercedes Benz Stadium. It’s a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
So far, so good for the former Louisville quarterback’s homecoming. Brohm recruited the No. 1 transfer class in the country and signed a top-25 recruiting class. He’s brought much-needed enthusiasm to the program. And he comes with a track record — 30-10 in three seasons as head coach at Western Kentucky; 36-34 in six seasons at Purdue, not the easiest of jobs.
Starting quarterback Jack Plummer knows Brohm’s system. He spent three years at Purdue before spending 2022 at California. He threw for 3,095 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Those numbers could improve thanks to Brohm’s scheme and wide receiver Jamari Thrash, who caught 61 balls last season at Georgia State.
Defensive coordinator Ron English followed Brohm from West Lafayette. Purdue ranked 53rd in total defense in 2022. Louisville ranked 24th. No Cardinals made first-team preseason All-ACC. U of L topped the nation in sacks last season. That will be tough to duplicate.
Georgia Tech’s 4-4 record under interim coach Brent Key earned him the permanent job. Key is a former offensive lineman for the Yellow Jackets who coached Nick Saban’s offensive line at Alabama before joining Geoff Collins at his alma mater.
Texas A&M transfer Haynes King is the Georgia Tech quarterback. Buster Faulkner is the offensive coordinator. He spent the past three seasons as quality control assistant under coordinator Todd Monken at Georgia. Andrew Thacker is in his fifth season as Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator.
All eyes will be on Brohm. And for good reason. Louisville is a 7.5-point favorite.
Florida flubs it up at Utah
Florida football 2023 began Friday night in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for second-year head coach Billy Napier, the Gators looked much like 2022. Pre-snap penalties. Mental mistakes. Organizational errors. And a 24-point loss to the 14th-ranked Utes.
Starting in place of the injured Cam Rising, Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes uncorked a 70-yard touchdown pass to Money Parks on the Utes’ first play. Down 7-3, the Gators committed a false start penalty on fourth-and-1 at the Utah 19, then missed a 31-yard field goal. Next possession, Florida had two players wearing No. 3 on the field at the same time during a Utah punt. That’s against the rules. (Another reason to eliminate duplicate numbers.) The penalty gave the Utes a first down and the home team scored for a 14-3 lead.
New Florida quarterback Graham Mertz was 31 of 44 passing for 333 yards and a touchdown and an interception. He repeated many of the mistakes he made at Wisconsin. In his defense, Florida’s offensive line struggled against Utah’s defensive front. And Florida’s errors were those that keep coaches up at night before the opener.
Bottom line: Napier is 6-8 through 14 games as Gators coach. Florida plays Kentucky at Kroger Field on Sept. 30.
Missouri sorting out its quarterbacks
Missouri jumped to a 28-3 halftime lead and cruised to a 35-10 victory over South Dakota in Columbia on Friday. Brady Cook started at quarterback. The returnee was 17 of 21 through the air for 172 yards and a score in the first half . Highly touted freshman Sam Horn took over in the second half. He was 3 of 5 for 54 yards for a TD and a pick.
“Brady played a more consistent half,” Drinkwitz admitted. “We’ll go back and evaluate the tape. I’m not going to make a rush judgment there on that decision. I do think Brady was very efficient. Sam had his moments as well.”
The Tigers play host to Middle Tennessee State next Saturday. They visit Kentucky on Oct. 14.
This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 8:38 AM.
