Final Thoughts and Observations on Louisville vs. Stanford

The Cardinals were upset by the Cardinal for one of their worst losses in program history.

Nov 16, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Emmett Mosley V (10) catches a touchdown pass against the Louisville Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Momentum might have been on their side after taking down Clemson and getting some much needed rest in the bye week, but that didn't stop the Louisville football program from suffered one of their worst losses in program history, falling 38-35 at Stanford this past Saturday.

Before we close the book on the game and transition to the matchup vs. Pitt, I wanted to provide some closing thoughts and observations from the game against the Cardinal:

• First of all, there are few words, if any, that sum up Louisville's performance against Stanford better than "embarrassing." They had momentum on their side after earning their first ever win at Clemson, and while the dream of making the ACC Championship Game or even the College Football Playoff was a long shot, they still had the potential to carry that momentum down the stretch and turn that into a very good season. While a "good season" wasn't going to be determined by the outcome of this game, they very much had the chance to ruin it if they weren't careful. Between the play on the field and the decisions on the sideline, Louisville's effort and execution was a complete and total disgrace. It's not hyperbole to say this was one of the worst losses in the history of the program. In fact, it was Louisville's fifth-worst loss ever by point spread after closing as a 20.5-point favorite.
• While the players and some assistant coaches certainly bear some share of the blame, no one deserves more than the head man himself. Over the year's, Jeff Brohm has developed a bit of a reputation of having a letdown either after a big game or coming out of a bye week. Well, it's more than just a reputation now - it's an undisputed fact. This looked like a John L. Smith-led team with how undisciplined Louisville looked on Saturday. 13 penalties, including 11 on the defense alone and back-to-back on the final drive to allow Stanford to get in field goal range, is absurd. It falls directly on the head coach, and speaks massive volumes for his inability to get his team to stay focused on the task at hand. The offensive play calling itself was fine (not great, not terrible), but the end-of-game management was pitiful. Having to burn a timeout on a defensive 4th and 1 before allowing a game-tying touchdown, going bombs away on their final few offensive plays to preserve clock for Stanford instead of drawing up more short/intermediate plays (like he had to start the drive) to get them in better position for their own potential field goal attempt. It was absolutely dreadful, and it played as big of a role in the loss as the actual play on the field did.
• While this is Jeff Brohm's team, Ron English didn't exactly have a great game from a preparation and play calling standpoint. 11 penalties by this unit, including five offsides calls alone, is 100 percent a discipline and preparation issue, and English did not have his guys good to go. Two penalties wiped out interceptions, another took away a sack, and another allowed Stanford another try at a two point conversion after the first one failed. Anyone of these could have changed the game had they not been committed, and Louisville just simply wasn't prepared.
• On top of all that, English went away from the game plan that worked the previous game against Clemson. Louisville beat the Tigers in part because of the pressure they got on Cade Klubnik to make him uncomfortable. They didn't send the kitchen sink all night long, but they definitely blitzed in that game more so than they had in many of their previous games. It didn't seem like the brought much additional pressure outside of the standard four-man rush when watching it live, and rewatching the game confirmed it. Not only did they hardly ever send more than four, they rarely were in looks that even suggested they were going to blitz. I know that there have been communication issues this season so they can't do super exotic stuff, but it baffles me why they have to employ such a simple and basic scheme. I don't understand why this defensive staff hasn't consistently embraced a more aggressive mindset when it's clear that has been the most successful approach for this unit. Is their faith in the pass coverage really that low? (Well, I guess after watching them play in the second half, I might've answered my own question.)
• Speaking of the defense, I guess I'll start there. For as well as they played through part of the first half and early into the second, this was an abysmal showing on the bookends of this game. Specifically, the pass coverage - from both the defensive backs and the secondary - was just terrible. Outside of Corey Thornton and his grown man interception, plus Tamarion McDonald, no one had a particularly great (or even good) game when it came to defending the pass. Quincy Riley had an atrocious second half, and looked completely lost at times - not to mention the offsides penalty late. Tayon Holloway regressed after looking solid early, and had one of the two brutal penalties to end the game (even though it was a bit of a soft unsportsmanlike conduct call, it was the correct call nonetheless). D'Angelo Hutchinson gambled and lost Stanford's first touchdown of the game. The efforts in coverage by the linebacking corps as a whole wasn't as bad as it has been at times this season, but it still wasn't great. Honestly, Stanford really seemed to have their most success passing the ball outside the numbers in the short and intermediate areas of the field - which up until this point had been a relative area of strength for Louisville.
• It was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of day for the defensive line They committed six of the 13 penalties on the afternoon, and allowed Stanford to continue on several drives. When not committing penalties, this unit actually did relatively well. They only allowed three runs of 10 or more yards, plus Ashton Gillotte and Ramon Puryear actually made a decent impact when it came to pressuring Ashton Daniels. The only issue is that the middle of the defensive line was very hit or miss with their pressures on the backfield. Had Louisville opted to blitz a little more or shown some exotic looks, maybe this could have been masked or improved upon. But alas.
• Alright, now onto the offense. While the side of the line of scrimmage didn't play their best at times, their overall effort certainly should have been enough to win the game. The final line score for Tyler Shough suggests that he had good but not great game, but to anyone that watched, there were a few throws and decisions of his that certainly made you want to scratch your head. He had a handful of overthrown passes that would have been chunk plays or scoring plays, on top of that super weird underhand throw early in the third quarter that probably should have been picked off. When it came to the missed long balls on their final drive, while the throws could have been better, the plays themselves didn't have many viable underneath options - so I don't fault him much here. He wasn't bad per se, but this wasn't one of his better outings on a season that has otherwise been the best of his lengthy collegiate career.
• Ja'Corey Brooks had a great game, but they more noteworthy headline amongst the pass catchers was Chris bell stepping up and making several big time plays. He's had an up-and-down season in terms of both his usage and maturity overall, so seeing have by far and away the best game of his career was great to see. Getting Cataurus Hicks in the mix was also a great sign. That being said, I was surprised to see Ahmari Huggins-Bruce have zero impact on the game, and the fact that the tight ends weren't more utilized in this game. Mark Redman and Nate Kurisky had some good catches late in the game, but they should have gotten involved earlier.
• Isaac Brown is who gets all the headlines in Louisville's running back room, and deservedly so, but Duke Watson is slowly becoming a fantastic player in his own right. Losing Brown for the game early on certainly hurt, but Watson looked just as explosive as Brown would have. The future of the running back position for the Cardinals (as long as Brown and Watson stay) continues to be extremely bright. Let's just hope it's not a long term issue with Brown's shoulder, although it doesn't seem like it will be.
• They won't get the proper credit they deserve because it was a loss, but the offensive line played a great game. Sure, Stanford didn't exactly pose a massive threat on their defensive line and front seven as a whole, but they gave Shough a clean pocket all afternoon, and gave Watson and Chaney good rushing lanes. In fact, the line didn't allow a single sack or tackle for loss, with just one of the two pressures allowed being attributed to the line. Considering how banged up the line is, which has forced some players to play out of position, this is a fantastic performance.
• I'll close with this thought: even with the momentum that Louisville had been generating up to the Stanford game, it seemed likely that there were still going to be staff changes of some sort once the offseason arrived. However, this game is proof that a staff shakeup needs to happen. To what degree remains to be seen, but after a pathetic performance such as this one, someone, if not multiple assistant coaches, deserve to get fired. Additionally, Jeff Brohm needs to take a very, very long look in the mirror this offseason, and find a way address what it is in his approach that causes him to fall completely flat on his face after a big game or coming out of a bye week. That's now back-to-back seasons where the Cardinals have had inexplicable losses following the biggest win of the season - and there are instances of this happening at Purdue as well. I couldn't tell you exactly what needs to be fixed, and Jeff Brohm is still a good coach, but there is a fundamental deficiency in his coaching style/approach, and he will never help Louisville take "the next step" if he doesn't fix this.

(Photo of Quincy Riley, Emmett Mosley V: Bob Kupbens - Imagn Images)

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