What Jeff Brohm, Louisville Players Said After 56-0 Win vs. Murray State
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Playing in their first home game under head coach Jeff Brohm, the Louisville football program left little doubt against in-state FCS foe Murray State, cruising to a 56-0 victory at L&N Stadium.
Here's what Brohm, running backs Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo, plus cornerback Quincy Riley and safety Devin Neal had to say following the win:
Head Coach Jeff Brohm
(Opening Statement)
“Proud of our football team today. I thought we came out and did exactly what we needed to do which was execute better, find ways to score points and keep them out of the endzone. We were fortunate to play a lot of guys on the field which is great to see. These guys put in a lot of time, they are great teammates, they are unselfish. So to be able to play a lot of guys in game two was a great thing so I know they were happy. It makes things a lot of fun when you get that many people in and from here we have to get ready for a tough stretch of games and understand everything from here on out will be a dogfight.”
(On playing nine different quarterbacks)
“Well my father Oscar was mad at me because he wanted to get 10 in but I told him that his eligibility had run up. It is hard to get in nine quarterbacks, but we did and it was great to see them play. We played a lot of guys in a lot of positions and of course when you are up on a team, you want to get the reserves and the backups in as much as you can. I thought those guys played hard and it was really good experience for them. They can use this as a great learning tool, and we have to continue to progress those guys. At some point we are going to need them and you never know when. In order to be a great football team, depth is very important.”
(On the duo of Jamari Thrash and Jawhar Jordan)
“Well without question through two games they have been playmakers for us. Really throughout practice and spring and summer and fall camp they have displayed that. They prove it every day, they do not miss a rep of practice. Our team knows they lead by example. We have other playmakers also but those two have definitely stood out so we have to continue to make sure they get touches as well as the others, continue to improve the whole receiver room and I think we will. I think we have some depth in the running back room. Maurice (Turner) was banged up today, we held him out and were able to play some others and we were proud of their effort.”
(On how it felt to get the first home game under his belt)
“Well, it was good. You know what, winning the first game was good to get that under our belt especially in the circumstances we did. Now to come home and do what we were supposed to do, it is a great feeling. I think winning has to matter. Myself, coaches and players need to really hate losing. We will make sure to do everything in our power not to lose. It has to drive us and motivate us to work hard. The fans were tremendous today. They came out, they were ready for the season. A lot of people stayed for the entire game, even when it was out of reach. We want to make them happy. This is a full team affair and winning can make even more people want to be a part of it. We want to make sure we do our part and play a great brand of football. Play hard, tough, physical and smart. Give it everything we got every week and hopefully that can equal wins.”
(On Jack Plummer looking comfortable in his role)
“Jack had a really good week in practice. He understands what he needs to do. He has experience, throwing with conviction and stand in there and not throwing off his back foot, cutting it loose, throwing with anticipation and knowing when to throw with touch on the ball. I thought he did a solid job. He had one interception and the defensive back did a good job. It was a Hail Mary that we were trying to get in the end zone, before they made a good scramble and got it handled. Overall, he is going to continue to improve. He works hard. Our quarterback room has really worked hard and done a great job. All those guys are getting ready to play. I was happy with Brock (Doman), Evan (Conley), and Harrison (Bailey) and all those guys that got in and did a really good job.”
(On Oscar Brohm (Jeff’s dad) being worried/nervous about the first home game)
“He had too much food at dinner last night and that is why he couldn’t sleep. My family wants everything to go well as well. They feel the pressure as well. The last game, my wife and daughter went back into the locker room at half time and my daughter cried for a while and was worried she wouldn’t have any friends. I came in at the end of the game and I had to calm her down. I told her at the Georgia Tech game, you know you aren’t the only one who isn’t going to have any friends. So, enjoy your friends for one more week. Everybody wants to do well. They feel part of it. There is just such a strong contingent of people we know that want great things to happen. Let me worry about them. Let’s go to work and you guys relax have fun and enjoy it. Let’s put the work in and cut this thing loose. That is what they have me and my staff and that is what they are here for. We will work as hard as we can at it. We will enjoy the good moments and try to correct the bad moments along the way and see what we can get done here.”
(On what did you see from Devin Neal and Cam’Ron Kelly in terms of being the ‘next man up)
“Both Cam Kelly and Devin Neal had a great week of practice and that position has gotten thinner through some injuries. Cam is new to us, he had a pulled hamstring in camp, so he’s missed quite a bit of time. Devin missed all of spring practice with an injury, but they had a really good week of practice and we needed them to play well. The backups behind them don’t have much experience, so they stepped up, did a good job. They’re going to need to continue to play well in order to for us to win, they basically need to quarterback the defense and get us lined up back there and help prevent big plays and try to make some big plays. So I just thought that they did a really good job and I think it’s through great preparation all week and Coach [Ron] English and Coach [Steve] Ellis did a great job with them, getting them ready and we’ve just got to continue to work through that, but I thought they played very well.”
(On the defense and how they didn’t give up in their tenacity in the shutout)
“I like our defense. I’ve liked them all spring and summer and fall camp. We had some things the first week that just kind of got us spinning and that’s on me and the coaching staff a little bit and we kind of narrowed this plan down and made sure. ‘Let’s get these guys lined up and set and let them go play.’ That doesn’t mean you can’t make different calls. We do want to make different calls, but we’ve got to make sure that when that ball is snapped, we’re all ready to go and I think if we do that and if we’re in the right position we have a better chance to make plays. I think that they prepared well, the plan was good. We always try to work hard at fixing our mistakes, owning up to them first, behind closed doors or even in public and then trying to fix them and identifying them. I just think it’s important that you do that. Every team is different. There’s a new scenario that comes up every week, so I’m very proud of our coaches and players.”
(On the play of the offensive line)
“Coach [Richard] Owens has done a great job with our offensive line. Dale Williams is here, who coached with me for so many years and helping. A good group of guys that really work hard individually with those people. We’ve improved the position through the spring and summer. They work really hard, they don’t get any credit, but they put in a lot of hard work. We were able to play more guys which was good and we hope to continue to try to do that. But that group has played solid. Keeping them healthy is important and continue to progress forward, but I’m proud of them as well. They’ve kept the quarterback clean and got us a bunch of yards today. Obviously we’re going to face some tough competition coming up and we’ve got to prove it every week, but they’ve done a good job.”
Running Backs Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo
Cornerback Quincy Riley and Safety Devin Neal
(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter
