Amid Coaching Turnover, Louisville Remaining Focused on Bowl Prep

Despite losing their head coach and a multitude of assistants, the Cardinals are staying locked in and upbeat in their preparation for the Fenway Bowl.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It hasn't exactly been a normal period of bowl preparation for the Louisville football program.

Less than 24 hours after it was officially announced that the Cardinals (7-5, 4-4 ACC) would be renewing their rivalry against Cincinnati (9-3, 6-2 AAC) in the Fenway Bowl, they inexplicably found themselves in the market for a new head coach. Last Monday morning, the Bearcats announced that they had poached UofL head coach Scott Satterfield to take over their program after Luke Fickell had left for Wisconsin the week before.

"We were shocked when we found out," center Bryan Hudson said. "But we love Coach Satterfield and appreciate everything that he's done for us, and we know that he loves us. It was kind of just finding out and figuring out what we're gonna do next."

Satterfield was far from the only coach to depart the Cardinals. In the days following his move up I-71, seven of Louisville's ten position coaches - including both coordinators - moved on to other jobs, with five of them joining Satterfield at Cincinnati.

That has left a skeleton crew for director of player development Deion Branch, who was elevated to interim head coach for the bowl. Only tight ends coach Josh Stepp, defensive line coach Mark Ivey and outside linebackers coach Greg Gasparato remain, with a variety of quality control coaches taking over for the position assistants that left. Not to mention the nine players that have entered the transfer portal since the end of the regular season.

But even with all the defections that Louisville has experienced amongst both coaches and players alike, the ones that are still left haven't let that damper their spirits. In fact, once they finally held their first bowl practice last Thursday, it was almost like nothing had changed.

"Everything is amazing, I promise you," Branch said. "I know I may sound like a cliche, but trust me, these guys are going 100 miles an hour. I love the effort, I love the energy on the football field. I love the desire that the guys possess right now. I think the hardest part was Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It was the unknown. Thursday comes, I think everybody's in their happy space, in their sanctuary. We hit the field, business as usual."

Branch hasn't shied away from the fact that he doesn't want the head position job full time, even before it was officially announced that Jeff Brohm had been hired to be their next head coach. But during the two weeks where is he the man in charge of the show, he's giving it his all.

"The more and more I'm out here with these guys, and see how much these young men look forward to me, giving them the proper guidance, I'm here to do that," he said. "That's my role. That's my job. I was called upon to do so by (athletic director) Josh Heird and this university, and I'm going to carry it out to the best of my ability with the support that I have with these coaches."

Ever seen he was named the interim head coach, Branch says he has heard from over 30 friends and teammates supporting him, including former Cardinals Dewayne White and Michael Josiah. Many of his friends have even offered to help give him advice during his time in the role, to which he has politely declined.

"You just love that, man," he said. "It means a lot to me."

As far as how he is conducting the practices, Branch has drawn from his experiences playing in the NFL under Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and implemented a lot of situational drills and scrimmages to get ready for whatever comes their way.

"I love how he's handled it," Hudson said. "I think he's done a fantastic job getting this team back together, keeping us on the right path. He's put together a great plan with the rest of the staff, and just being able to put us in the right position to go win the game. I applaud him big time just for the job as he's done and continues to do for the team."

A rivalry matchup in a bowl game already has storylines aplenty. But in an instance like this, where the head coach of one program departs for their competition, many on the outside would think that ups the ante as far as the on-field energy and vitriol goes. Even if Satterfield won't actually be the one roaming the sideline for UC at Fenway Park.

But the players, at least outwardly, say they aren't using that as their primary motivating factor. To them, they're treating this like any other game, and staying true to their weekly practice habits.

"We're just focused on Cincinnati, the players, and just on what we have to do," Hudson said. "I wouldn't say it really adds anything. I just think this team was fired up from the day we found out we were going to a bowl game and playing Cincinnati. I think we just got to focus on us, and what we have to do to win the game."

Even in the face of adversity that they have faced, Branch lauds the mental resolve that both the players and remaining coaches have shown. With the possibility that there could be additional turnover at any given time, he continues to preach of message of staying strong and focused on the task at hand.

"I always tell these guys, God's just going to throw a lot of different things at you," he said. "This is a test of character, just to see how you guys respond to it. I'm trying to teach these young men that. trust me, if they think this is hard, wait 5-10 years from now. You're to see way more harder things than this, I promise you that. These guys still get the opportunity to go out and play football, have fun, go to a bowl game, go to Boston. This is everything. Not only for myself, but for them."

Kickoff between the Cardinals and Bearcats in the Fenway Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 17 at 11:00 a.m. EST.

(Photo of Deion Branch: Matt Stone - Louisville Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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