Watch: Jeff Brohm, Ron English and Louisville Players Preview Jacksonville State

The head coach of the Cardinals, as well as defensive coordinator Ron English, tight end Mark Redman and linebacker Antonio Watts met with the media to discuss their upcoming matchup vs. the Gamecocks.

University of Louisville head football coach Jeff Brohm took questions from the media / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal & USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kicking off the 2024 season against FCS foe Austin Peay, the Louisville football program cruised to a blowout week one victory, capturing a dominant 62-0 shutout victory this past Saturday at L&N Stadium.

Next up, Louisville will stay at home and host Jacksonville State for their first game against an FBS opponent. Kickoff against the Gamecocks is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Prior to their upcoming matchup, head coach Jeff Brohm, defensive coordinator Ron English, tight end Mark Redman and linebacker Antonio Watts took time to meet with the media. They discussed the previous game vs. Austin Peay, previewed the upcoming game vs. Jacksonville State, and more.

Below is the partial transcript from Brohm's press conference, as well as the videos from English, Redman and Watts' press conference:

Head Coach Jeff Brohm

(Opening statement)

We are ready for game two and it's good to be back home again and play in front of our crowd and I thought for the most part we did what we needed to for the first game. We got a lot of people somewhere and get some action which was good to see them on the field and of course you want to challenge ourselves to play our best this week against an opponent that did not win last week but they had a good year last year nine and four won their bowl game coach Rodriguez has been coaching football for a long time and he's doing a very good job coaching and now present as problems with the tempo and the type of offense they run even on defense they do a lot of different things give you a lot of different looks and try to confuse you so we need to prepare well and get ready to play a good game.

(On his satisfaction level of team handling business in week 1)

We did what we were supposed to do and I think we prepared hard we practiced well and these guys wanted to go out there and try to put on our best performance so yes it's always important to keep doing what you're supposed to do and play well do the small things correctly challenge yourself and to play your best and for the most part you know I thought we did that for four quarters and now we got to find a way to do that again.

(On Jadon Thompson)

Jadon has a lot of experience he's played a lot of football her and at Cincinnati. Cincinnati played some slot receivers so we knew he could do both we were using him mostly on the outside here but you know when Colin went down he was probably the most veteran we had that was going to be in a rotation with Ja'Corey and Chris on the outside so to get him on the field as a starter get all those guys out there all guys that are 6 -2 plus those are good targets and he really just has a good feel and a knack for football and i think like i said it's his second year on offense he understands it as good as anybody he's been healthy this year which last year he was not healthy for the most part and i thought he stepped up and did very good and I was proud of him and he worked really hard to get on the field and get some action and he did a solid job.

(On Isaac Brown)

ell I looked at a really good job he's fast he's quick he's elusive he's danger so the ball in his hand and he's got some speed that you really just don't coach. You know anytime you play at first you're freshman in game one you worry about him walking up not knowing all the plays turning the ball over but he practiced his really hard and his demeanor and his work ethic overcomes a lot of that. I think you will continue to see him on the field and obviously as the season progresses and you know as we play more and more teams each week he's going to have to make plays and be a playmaker for us but I think we felt confident with Maurice and Don um being our veterans and understanding exactly what we wanted done. They are good blockers good in the running game good in the passing game never good understanding and football and the type of competition that we are going to see so we will continue to work all those running backs and get them ready but Isaac does have some game breaking speed.

(On using multiple players on special teams)

I do think our specialists have worked really hard and there's not a huge drop off in first and second teams in all those categories that you mentioned obviously Brock has a ton of experience he can kick off and kick field goals and punt if we need him to but the other is behind him have improved and they've stepped up and we’ll utilize all of those guys as much as we can. When it comes to returning cakes you've got some capable guys and Quincy obviously is very talented sometimes you don't want to risk getting him injured but he can do some really good things with the ball Jaden Thompson has felt comfortable back there especially catching the ball and having a good feel. Issac just got game breaking speed and ability. Colin Lacy was back there and get back there once he gets healthy again. You know there are some options and I think each can do a really good job for us.

(About his relationship with Rich Rodriguez)

Well we definitely put against him in a bowl game my first year at Purdue yeah and you know want to close contest. You know coach Rodriguez has been coaching a long time and was really one of the main ones to perfect the spread offense and the ability to use the quarterback as a runner and passer with great tempo to hit some plays on you before you lined up and has been really good at it and I think now that you're going against him there's a whole lot you got to prepare for he understands the game he gets it he's been there he's done that she knows how to take players and maximize their talent level so we'll have our hands full this is going to be a well coach team, its going to be a hungry team coming off a loss at home that they weren’t happy with they just turned the ball over quite a bit and got down and couldn't overcome it if the games close and they are able to do what they want which is utilize the quarterback in the run game then they are very dangerous so it's important to try to find a way to get a lead and make them probably throw the ball more than they want

(On the running back room)

I think coach Buckley does a great job and he's played the position he understands he's been with me and our offense for a long time he loves coaching here and representing his hometown he was proud of our running backs last year I thought they stepped up and to have two guys drafted was awesome for our team and for those guys you know this room early on we knew maybe you didn't quite have that caliber yet but they had done a really good job and they were solid players and Maurice kind of stood behind those two last year didn't get as many opportunities but had a great spring great fall camp i think he continued to do a lot of really good things done gives us a veteran leader with strength and popped in the backfield and understands football and can take on linebackers and block and help us in that regard and do what he needs to in the running game and then we got 3 youngsters in Keyjuan, Isaac and Duke that all have some really good talent just go to continue that strength but they understand what we are doing and while we want to score points and create explosive plays you know when you can run the ball consistently you're going to eliminate a lot of negative plays you're going to eventually pop a few when you hand it off you're not going to get the ball bad at the line is you're not going to throw an interception so it's a little safer and if you're efficient at it can open up things in the passing game but those running we felt good about them all along just didn’t maybe have the experience on the field as the last two and had a strong act to follow but I think they’re moving in the right direction.

(On anything that stood out watching game film)

Well, I think it confirmed a lot of the things we thought, that you don’t really know for sure. I think we have do have dept, in a lot of positions, certain positions there’s not a big drop off, which is great and it’s going to help our football team. There were definitely playmaker we saw early on that stood out in the game and then there were others that emerge as well. It was great to see Jayden Thompson do a really good job; it was great to see the young running backs step up and do well. Mark Redmen didn’t get here till the summer; it was great to see him make a great catch, and the other tight ends were efficient and did a great job. I thought the offensive line was solid for the most part we played quite of few guys there. On defense we knew we had dept and it showed up because there wasn’t a big drop off when we are rotating guys in and out, so that was good to see. I thought we were solid on special teams that’s always important, you got to find a way to gain an advantage. So, it kind of confirmed what we had thought but you never know for sure, and we will have to do that more than one week against really good opponents to keep confirming that, but it was a good start.”

(On About moving Ashton Gillotte around)

Well, it’s a huge advantage we have a hard time blocking him in practice, especially when he has been moved around. As this game got going on we didn’t play Ashton a lot in the second half, kind of sat him down which I am sure he didn’t like but we want to keep him health and fresh and ready to go. He is just strong, quick, his effort in relentless, he can play a lot of things, he’s a great leader by example, wants to win, great teammate and he got to step up and make play against good opponents if we want to win football games. To keep him health as long as we can its important because he’s really good.”

(On Tramel Logan)

It was great to see Tramel step in and play the way he did, yes, he got here late and didn’t even start when fall camp started not until after we got going, did we kind of get him going. He was ready to go, and he had to complete some things, which he did but right way he is twitch, speed, quickness and he understands it. He is slippery to block, he’s not going to big as Ashton and he’s not as thick but he’s slippery its hard to get your hands on him. He has a really good understanding of how to play football and he’s been a great teammate as well which has been great to see, very unselfish but he is very talented. The D-line position as deep but defiantly those two guys stood out as guys that need to make plays for us every week.”

(On what an RPO offense trying to expose in the defense)

Well in that type of offense, you are always going to have to count for the quarterback as a runner which does make things harder. They gain an extra blocker, they are taking out extra defender, a lot of times in your defense you are trying to plus one in what you are doing, in the run game to make sure you have a extra hand. When he is running the ball, you don’t have that extra hand you have to be really good, you mix in the play action, mix in the tempo of them trying to get plays and snaps before you are ready and set and get your calls in, always has been beneficial for them. The speed of the game can throw you off guard and that’s challenging, what teams have to do to find a way to beat that, is you have to find a way to get a lead and make them throw the ball more, putting them in a more drop back game which they aren’t as efficient at. If they can do what they want it presents challenges and the techniques you have to use in the defensive end with blitzers off the end, when you have all the quarterback pull, read, power stuff, has to be different. You have to give them looks that they don’t see all the time because they will take advantage of it. We have worked really all off season for the first two games to defend the quarter back run and power. It is important we put it to use this week because they will take advantage if you don’t. Coach Rodriguez has been doing this for a long time, if he can get into a flow and get things going the way they want and get a led then they are at the advantage, and he is very comfortable calling games that way.”

(On Ahmari Huggins-Bruce)

I think it's great to have him back on the team i think he's happy to be here you know he's got some good buddies on this team that he's always kept in contact with. He wants to play football and you know getting him back there were some things we had to go through to get him eligible and to get everything cleared which didn't happen until the last minute so he wasn't able to practice a whole lot and i think as we progress to the season you'll see him get out there more and more. He's fast he's got speed he's been in our offense before and even though he's been gone for a while i think we can get him back up to speed but you know i think we have to get him some touches as well because i do think when he knows what to do and he's playing fast he can be very productive for your team. I think it's very eager to get on the field and I think he feels good around this team these guys the coaches here and he loves this university and town so I think you’ll see him more and more as we progress throughout the season and hopefully we can see him more this week as well.

(On getting Huggins-Bruce acclimated)

To get him back you know he did some good things for us and you know sometimes when people leave you don't want them to make a change but we want them to have to do things that's best for them so that's what he chooses to do so you you know having him come back we knew that this guy can make plays for us and we knew that we had a receiver get injured so that was good timing. You know i think we're happy to get him back on the field and when he's bouncing around with energy and understand what he's doing i think he can really help us win. His teammates like him and he gets along with all of them and i think he can be a good addition but we really need to understand what he's really good at and try to get him the ball those ways.

(On the in-helmet communication)

i do think the headset is beneficial and probably should have been in the game a long time ago the NFL has been doing it for 30+ years even back when I played. The spread teams for a long time didn't want any part of it just because they signal things in and they go fast and they probably didn't want to change but if you don't want people to steal your signals and you want to be able to run plays that the other team doesn't know for sure you used the ear piece. For us i thought it worked pretty good the first half I ain't going to lie there were 5 or 6 times that I forgot to press the button so I screwed it up I’m like why don't you know the play i just sent it like 2 times so you know you have all of these compartments on your belt buckle and at first I said you know well maybe I'll just use a walkie-talkie and they said no it's probably better to press the button and I said I might forget to press it and I was right I forgot to press it numerous times so it took me a while to get used to that so I didn’t do a great job the first quarter especially. Second half believe it or not Pierce was in there and i had to call a time out because I couldn't understand why he couldn't hear me calling the plays but it was not turned on properly. So yea there were some kinks we got to work through but you know in general its been official. Now you know on defense it’s a little hairy you know if teams are not huddling you've got to make sure you got your call in fast so sometimes we did not use the earpiece if teams are huddling it's much easier to use a huddle and get that called in but for teams that are going fast you're probably still going to have to signal for teams that are not cuddling and getting lined up and set you are there to get in faster or signal it in and that’s where it gets a little tricky but Teams steal defensive signals and they can figure out what it is if they study it and look at it so we have to be really cautious that if we can use the earpiece we want to use it as much as we can.

Defensive Coordinator Ron English

Tight End Mark Redman and Linebacker Antonio Watts

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Jeff Faughender - Courier Journal; USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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