Brian Brohm got things going on the very first play of the game. Louisville needed to spread the ball around more, and they needed to get the tight ends involved. The motion with Tre Richardson to draw eyes, followed by play action, was a perfect way to get Jaleel Skinner open across the middle of the field.
Lincoln Keiholz also does a very good job of staying patient as the GT outside linebacker drops into the path of this throw. Linc simply holds the ball until Skinner clears and delivers a nice
ball that allows him to get up the field for a big play to start the game.
Louisville’s defense also set the tone early on their first snap of the game. GT uses motion, which UofL has had fits with, but Jabari Mack and Koen Entringer are in solid position after the snap to at least make a quick tackle on a completion. It shouldn’t be this way, but it is very nice to see guys execute their assignment after the motion.
The guy who makes the play on this one is Tyler Thompson. He does a great job on his inside rush to make Alberto Mendoza move his feet. As soon as he gets the snap, he has Thompson in his line of sight, and by the time he turns to make this throw, Thompson is close enough that he has to move. The timing is completely off from the jump, and the Cards get a sack.
Louisville spent this game getting Stanquan Clark downhill against the run. He timed up the snap a handful of times, and if he didn’t make the tackle, he at least made the running back stop his feet and adjust. As you see here, his running start makes it really easy for him to blow by the left tackle, who barely gets a hand on him.
Josh Donald also does a great job of firing off the ball to beat the left guard across his face. The defense set the tone early, and I truly believe it was a key factor in how they played all game.
TreyShun Hurry is a completely different player than he was last season. He was used on a handful of throws down the sideline, and he barely looked like a guy who could play at the FBS level when he got those opportunities. This route is exactly what you want to see from a Power 4 receiver. It’s how you coach it, and more than that, it’s how you want it executed in the moment.
Hurry starts this off with a great split in how he lines up. He’s at the numbers, so he has plenty of room to run this route with speed. If he were further outside, he would need to make a move at the line to get even with the defensive back. He angles to the sideline at the snap because he has space to do so, then he works to get even and then get by the corner. He starts handfighting as soon as he gets to an even point, and while doing so, he uses his speed to get ahead of the corner. He finishes it off with an impressive catch through contact. Really good stuff here.
Brian Brohm was in his bag to start this game. He’s down inside the 10, so it’s likely GT will be in man coverage. He calls a simple play to get his fast guy on the edge of the defense, where he is running away from coverage. The defender in coverage doesn’t react to the motion from Tre Richardson, and it’s an easy natural pick to get him wide open for an easy touchdown. I’d imagine Brian called this a touchdown in the booth before the ball was snapped.
Ben Perry makes a great play here. I have noticed over the last few weeks that Perry, or whoever is in at the time, will blitz or at least get tight to the line of scrimmage and get downhill when there is not a receiver to their side. However, they have also done so when there is a receiver, which has led to some easy passes.
I like the overall mindset, because it leads to plays like this one, where you essentially have a defender who is unaccounted for. Perry is lined up a few yards off the ball as everyone initially lines up. But he creeps up to the line and gets on the ball so quickly that he is no longer the option read. He makes the choice for the quarterback because he is right there at the point where he would hand it off or keep it. The aggressive approach has been the answer all season. I’ll keep shouting it into the ether.
The offensive line has been better than as of late, but this type of mistake is really concerning as the Cards look to back their way into the ACC championship game. Pitt will feast if the line can’t get their calls right, as we see here. This is a very basic pressure from GT, and it looks like they just don’t communicate responsibilities very well.
Cason Henry is the guy I’m focused on at right tackle, because he doesn’t have any reason to let a defensive end get a free rush here unless he thinks there is a running back to pick him up. The basic rule against a blitz is to take the inside threat, but the line is not outnumbered on this play. What should happen is that the center would pick up the blitzer, and everyone else takes the man in front of them. Henry blocks down, and you end up with three blockers for two players. Not a big deal in this game, as this was the only blown pass block, but better defenses will look to do this all game long.
