Louisville Players Operating With Urgency in Prep for Holiday Bowl Against USC
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The most wonderful time of the year is finally back - bowl season. College football's postseason officially kicked off this past Saturday, with 42 total bowl games slated to take place over the next few weeks.
For the Louisville football program, their bowl draw has them heading out to the West Coast. They will be squaring off with USC in the Holiday Bowl, putting the bow on a 2023 campaign that has mostly been a positive one. In what was Jeff Brohm's first year as the head coach, the Cardinals captured their first 10-win season since 2013, as well as made their first appearance in the ACC Championship Game since joining the league in 2014.
However, while the inaugural campaign under Brohm has unquestionably been a success, Louisville isn't heading into the bowl game with a ton of momentum on their side, as they are currently on a two-game losing streak.
In their regular season finale against Kentucky, they saw their Governor's Cup losing streak extended to five games, dropping that contest 38-31 at L&N Stadium. Then most recently in the ACC Championship Game against Florida State, the Cardinals could not overcome a lackluster offensive performance, falling 16-6 in Charlotte, N.C.
As a result of this recent skid, the players have been operating with an enhanced sense of urgency during their preparation for the Holiday Bowl.
"Obviously, we didn't really end the season the way we wanted to, and that's kind of stuck with everyone through the last couple of weeks, month or so," offensive tackle Eric Miller said. "It's kind of brought a little more sense of urgency to bowl prep, because it is a little different. You get some time off, and then you're kind of a little bit back into camp mode. You got a lot of time off to prepare for one game, so it's kind of built up that sense of urgency - especially in our room - to finish the season out right, to send guys out the right way and to set this program up the right way going into next season."
By the time Louisville will take the field of Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., it will have been almost an entire calendar month since last suiting up. 25 days, to be exact, with kickoff set for Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 8:00 p.m.
During that time, the Cardinals have been operating with the same "one-game season" mentality that they have been all year long. Granted, it's now literally a one-game season at this point, but now it's more so a way to help remind each other to stay focused on the immediate task at hand.
While the Holiday Bowl might not be a New Year's Six, or one that is the easiest to travel to for Louisville fans, the players know what's a stake here. For starters, a win would help secure only UofL's sixth season of 11 wins in program history. But on top of that, a victory would not only send the seniors out right and give the returning players a confidence boost, it will help get momentum back churning in the right direction ahead of the 2024 season.
"It's a one-game season, but one thing that I think we are trying to emphasize to the guys is, going into the offseason with the with the losses, it changes how you look on the offseason," defensive end Stephen Herron said. "It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. If you lose a few, but you're able to come out on top against a good team in a bowl game at a good site, you go into the offseason with a little bit- still that chip on your shoulder, but a little bit of a smile on your face, and understand that you guys still have what it takes."
Louisville might be a touchdown favorite in this matchup, victory over USC is far from assured. While the Trojans did lose five of their last six games of the seasons and boast arguably the worst defense in the Power Five, their offense is the reason they started 6-0 and ranked as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll. Head coach Lincoln Riley is noted as one of the top offensive masterminds in all of college football, with USC having the No. 11 total offense and No. 4 scoring offense in the FBS this season.
"Playing a team as dynamic as them, whether they have some star guys play or not, you got to prepare," Herron said. "Lincoln Riley is a crazy offensive mind, and one the best in the game right now. You have to respect that. They recruit just as well as anybody, so you kind of just have to treat this regular game like a championship game. That's how they're treating it, I hope."
Of course, neither team is going to be at full strength due to the transfer portal and NFL Draft, and especially USC. Not only have the Trojans seen 16 players enter the portal as of Dec. 19, most of the top offensive players are leaving early for the NFL Draft. Quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, starting running back MarShawn Lloyd and wide receiver Brennan Rice have also declared for April's draft.
Louisville has been hit by opt-outs and things of that nature, but not nearly as bad. Sure, they won't have running back Jawhar Jordan or wide receiver Jamari Thrash, but they have only had nine portal defections up to this point.
Even with so many regular players for the Trojans not slated to play in the Holiday Bowl, that has not changed the players' approach to practice. With a perennial powerhouse like USC and their recruiting prowess, the Cardinals know the next men up will be just as talented.
"It's a challenge I think in not letting yourself get ahead of anything," Herron said. "I wouldn't say like it'd be playing down to them. They're great athletes just like anybody else, but not taking it for granted, not taking it lightly because they haven't played maybe as much. But realize that they've athletes on the field, they're at a Division I program and they got recruited by a great team, regardless whether they played all season or not. They're up next. You have to respect that, and have that mentality that they're going to be a good player, a good athlete, and they're going to give you everything they have.
Additionally, not only have the players been hard at work getting ready for the Holiday Bowl, their head coach has been utilizing the extra time and has been busy adding some wrinkles to their game plan. In the past, Brohm has been known to get creative in the offensive attack, and incorporate a few more trick plays than normal. It seems like this theme of his will indeed continue in the Holiday Bowl.
"You give the mad scientist some time in the lab, he's gonna that's gonna come up with some stuff," Miller said. "It's exciting to see when we get the practice script everyday what's on there. Obviously, we're gonna have our bread and butter stuff that we do, but he's going to sprinkle in some fun new stuff. He's always watching football, burning tape trying to see what he can learn from other people. It's exciting to play for a guy like that."
(Photo of Stephen Herron, Trey Benson: Jim Dedmon - USA TODAY Sports)
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