Behind Enemy Lines: Five Questions for The Leaf-Chronicle's Jacob Shames

Ahead of Louisville's matchup with Austin Peay, Louisville Cardinals On SI sat down with Jacob Shames of The Leaf-Chronicle to find out more about the Governors.

Austin Peay’s Mason Garcia (12) throws during the Govenor's practice at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tenn., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. / Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2024 college football season is finally here. Louisville will make their long-awaited return to L&N Stadium this Saturday, taking on FCS foe Austin Peay to kick off year two of the Jeff Brohm era.

Ahead of the matchup, Louisville Cardinals On SI sat down with Jacob Shames of The Leaf-Chronicle to find out more about the Governors.

1. How hectic of an offseason has it been for Austin Peay after flipping their entire coaching staff and losing over half their roster?

I think the transition from Scotty Walden to Jeff Faris has been as smooth as Austin Peay could have realistically hoped for, especially considering it’s an FCS program coming off a strong season, which puts it even more at the mercy of the transfer portal. A lot of players did end up following Walden to UTEP, and key players like Cedarius Doss and Sam Howard found homes at other FBS programs. But Faris is cut from the same cloth as Walden as a young, energetic, offensively-inclined coach, so I think that added familiarity for some of the players who did remain at APSU. APSU’s coaching search didn’t take long — less than a week between Walden accepting the UTEP job and Faris being announced — and the Govs’ coaching staff was in place by late January, so this isn’t a team that has necessarily come together on the fly.

2. While this staff has yet to coach a game together, based on what you have seen from them in the past and from the team as a whole over the offseason, what would you say is this squad’s identity?

Faris will call plays on offense, and I’d expect to see a unit that tries to be balanced and up-tempo, with Faris’s time working under David Cutcliffe at Duke, Chip Kelly at UCLA and calling plays for the Blue Devils in 2021 as an indicator. That Duke team averaged 78 plays per game and 420 yards while quarterback Gunnar Holmberg completed 67% of his passes — respectable numbers considering the lack of overall talent there. It’s harder to figure out on defense, where defensive coordinator Tripp Weaver is stepping into a new role after serving as East Carolina’s safeties coach.

3. Between Mason Garcia and Austin Smith, who has the inside track to be QB1?

I don’t really have any inside information on the Govs’ quarterback battle. Faris said earlier this week that it’s still up in the air. Garcia was a more highly-touted recruit out of high school, but Smith had more success at the FBS level, asserting himself as the starter at Eastern Michigan, while Garcia never was able to at ECU. Both players have shown good mobility in the past, and Garcia’s bigger at 6-foot-5 and 248 pounds, but Smith has been the more accurate passer in his career.

4. Who are the top players on both sides of the ball that fans should watch out for?

Obviously there’s the aforementioned battle between Mason Garcia and Austin Smith, but there’s some talent at the skill positions too. Look out for La’Vell Wright, who was a three-star running back coming out of high school in Louisville, as well as O’Shaan Allison, a transfer RB from Ohio. Duke transfer Malik Bowen-Sims, Jaden Barnes, Braxton Hicks and Romon Copeland Jr. are some of the players that could catch passes. Hosea Knifeley Jr. is probably the Govs’ biggest threat as a pass rusher, and linebacker Dion Hunter had 70 tackles at New Mexico two seasons ago. Cornerback Sammy Anderson Jr. is a former ESPN 300 recruit who played at Cincinnati.

5. If Austin Peay is to keep it close with Louisville, or even threaten to pull off the FCS-over-FBS upset, what is the one thing they must do?

Austin Peay’s offensive line has to hold up. Chandler Kirton and Harrison Wilkes, the two returning starters there, will need the game of their lives against a defensive line as deep and talented as Louisville’s. Neither Garcia and Smith should be phased by playing an FBS defense, and there’s a good amount of other FBS talent on the offense if either one of them can stay upright and get those guys the ball. The Govs had a solid showing through the air against Tennessee in their 30-13 loss last season but gave up 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks. If they can avoid negative plays and turnovers while giving Garcia or Smith enough time to get the ball out and attack the intermediate areas of the field, the Govs might put a few points on the board.

(Photo via Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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