What Jeff Brohm, Louisville Players Said After 62-0 Win vs. Austin Peay

Read what the head coach of the Cardinals and various players said after their win over the Governors.

Nov 25, 2023; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm watches warmups before the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. / Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program kicked off their 2024 season with authority, racing past FCS foe Austin Peay to secure a commanding 62-0 shutout victory.

Here's what head coach Jeff Brohm, quarterback Tyler Shough, wide Receivers Jadon Thompson and Ja'Corey Brooks, plus Defensive Ends Ramon Puryear and Tramel Logan had to say following the win:

Head Coach Jeff Brohm

(Opening Statement)

“Very proud of our football team today. You practice for a long time through the spring, summer and fall camp. You try to get through fall camp with as few injuries as possible, but you don’t have as many live reps, so to get on the game field and execute pretty well not only in the first half but the second half with some backups was good to see. I thought we played hard to the end. We limited penalties as much as we could, we got some turnovers and didn’t turn the ball over as well, so a lot of things to build on. I thought our guys came ready to play and did a good job finishing.”

(On how the receivers as a group played)

“We are going to continue to work that position as hard as we can. It is important to be good in the passing game, we had some explosive games. I thought Ja’Corey Brooks showed some great things today. He has had a really good camp, he has definitely stood out. Chris Bell has had a solid camp. He didn’t get as many balls today but did a really good job. Jadon Thompson has stepped in place for Caullin Lacy once he got injured. Jadon can play multiple positions so he hadn’t played a whole lot in the slot but he did a good job today. He is versatile, he practices hard, he is in the second year of our system so he understands it. He can play every position so that was good to see. I think we got some valuable reps from the guys behind him and we have to continue to build that. I think our tight ends stepped up. We played a lot of guys and they have to be an integral part of our passing game and also the running attack. So really good job overall.”

(On what the value was from a game you win 62-0)

“The value of these games for us is in the second half we played a lot of backups, second team, third team and fourth team. Sometimes some of those guys won’t play their whole career possibly much less the rest of the season, so it was good to get them action. Of course, you’ve got to play your starters at the beginning and hope that you play well. With that said, there is always upsets every week so you never can predict what is going to happen. I think our team’s schedule is good, it will continue to be good. I am all for playing the best teams every single week, but you have to play who is on your schedule and Austin Peay had a good year last year. Unfortunately, they had a coaching change and some players leave and it will take them a while to get used to it but I am sure they will be competitive once they start in their conference.”

(On Isaac Brown’s speed and big plays and how to utilize him)

“It is great to see him to do well. This is a true freshman who has worked really hard. He hasn’t missed a rep in practice. He never complains and puts in the work. We have thrown a lot at him and moved him around. We had some special practice with him, and Caullin Lacy and they were hitting it. He can do a lot of things. He just has a work ethic and his mental makeup, and his natural ability is something we can’t teach. He is just quick, fast and elusive. I think as he continues to progress in the weight room and gets stronger. We will get him to understand the offensive nuances of college football better. But he needs to touch the ball. So, we need to make sure he touches it so many times a game and allow him to do what he does best.”

(On Tyler Shough)

“He has been consistent and steady since last spring and at camp. He played pretty much like I thought he would. He can throw the football. He can stand in there until the last minute when things develop, and his guy gets just a little bit more open. Even when he has guys coming at him, he can see the field and he can spread the boundary to the middle to the outside, short … all those things. He has been a great leader. We need to keep him durable and healthy. But I anticipate him playing well as long we can continue to build the team and create some balance and keep giving him numerous choices, I think he can play even better.”

(On Tyler Shough’s off-platform throws)

“I was one of those quarterbacks who did too much scrambling when I played, so I allow guys to have some freedom. We allow them some freedom – he likes to have some gamesmanship to him and throw it underneath and throw it sidearm and riverboat gambler the thing every now and make some decisions. You know what, he’s good at it. Now we’ve worked on being in the pocket and a couple of those deep throws, if he could hit those and stay on top of them and drive them across the field – I think he missed a few of those. So we always try to say ‘hey if you’ve got a clean pocket and you’ve got to make the throw, let’s make sure you throw it in your normal motion,’ but at the same time, I want him to have some fun with it. And he’s really good at it, he does in practice, he can get the ball out quick, he can avoid the defender on screens if their hand’s in the way and he can throw at different arm angles. It’s fun to watch, I like watching him play.”

(On what surprised you with Jadon [Thompson], Ja’Corey [Brooks] and Mark [Redman] in terms of some of the big plays they made and how they differ from fall camp?)

“There’s certain guys that did well in fall camp and Ja’Corey Brooks is one of them. He didn’t go through spring because he had a shoulder injury. We didn’t know for sure because we hadn’t seen it yet, but he’s done great. He’s practiced everyday. He shows up everyday in practice. It was great to see him be consistent. Every game you have to be a difference maker. You can’t take a week off. He’s stood up to the challenge. Mark Redman got here late. He didn’t get here until the summer. He had a leg injury coming in. He’s continued to improve. He’s a steady blocker. He does what you ask. He made a great catch today. He has consistent hands. He’s done a really good job. Jadon is in his second year. We’ve had multiple receivers where they had a decent first year, but the second year they take off. For him to be able to play outside and inside for us was great to see, even though he didn’t play much inside for us until Caullin [Lacy] got hurt. He made some really good catches, ran good routes and he understands the system. He’s a big, long target. He’s played a lot of football, so we’re proud of his performance.”

(More on Tyler Shough)

“I like to see him do that. If you go back and look at his injuries, you’ll see that he was asked to run the ball with quarterback runs and designed runs. Which you have to in certain situations, but we want to try to limit that as much as we can. As we get into some tight and close games, we have to bring that out a little bit. We want to keep him upright and able to get the ball out quickly to our guys. We ask him to hold it a little longer and throw it deep. He has to stand in there and do it, but he’s really good at it. He can throw the ball vertically. I think he made every throw. There were maybe two throws that he was slightly off on some post patterns. Other than that, I thought he was really sharp, understood what we did and did exactly as we asked.”

Quarterback Tyler Shough

(On his first time out on the field with Louisville and returning to game action after injury)

“It’s such a blessing. I’m really grateful for the opportunity, and that was kind of my thought process the whole time: just go out there and have fun. Really no nerves. You only get so many opportunities with this game, and you never know what is going to happen. I was really proud of the way we played and how the team performed.”

(On the weapons around him - specifically Jadon Thompson, Ja’Corey Brooks, and Chris Bell - and what that does for his confidence)

“I feel complete confidence going into each snap with them. Whatever the defense is going to give us, I feel like I can go to any guy on any given route whether it’s deep, short, or if they have a special package. It’s the first time in my career I’ve felt that comfortability. All three of them and all of our wide receiver core, they do a really good job. We have a lot of plays, and they study their butts off and do a great job of being friendly and then going out there and making plays. I couldn’t do it without those guys getting down the field.”

(On staying composed in the pocket and taking hits)

“I wouldn’t say I’m one of those guys [who needs to take a hit in the first game after a long layoff]. I really was just trying to stand in there and give them a chance. That was my thought process: to give them a chance to go make a play when they’re bringing pressure. I think it’s always nice when you can go out there and you can take a lick, get your bell rung or get hit. It kind of wakes you up a bit. We do a really good job pregame with getting us going. I was really just out there playing in flow state and trying to give them a chance.”

(On throwing off balance and from different arm slots)

“I feel really comfortable doing it. I feel like it’s a bit of a strength I’ve been able to add to my game the past couple of years. There are times on screens and other protections where you have to escape and it is necessary, but my goal is always to be on platform when I can and to have a good base. Sometimes I feel like I can pull that out, and [the coaches] do a really good job of letting me play free and understanding when to use different throws and different footwork. It’s really built into the offense well, so I feel really comfortable doing it.”

Wide Receivers Jadon Thompson and Ja'Corey Brooks

Defensive Ends Ramon Puryear and Tramel Logan

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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