Louisville's speed remains one of its biggest strengths
After the first two years of the Jeff Brohm era, Louisville fans are familiar with something all of his team’s share — speed.
During its 51-14 victory over Eastern Kentucky, the Cardinals’ quickness was all over the field. In all phases, the Cards utilized their speed, demonstrating how to create game-changing plays. Eastern Kentucky might not be the best team to compare with; nonetheless, Brohms’ squad was running on high gear.
Isaac Brown might be the fastest player to put on a Louisville jersey since Lamar Jackson. His wheels were on full display during the first half. Brown shot out of a cannon with an early 31-yard touchdown. Later in the second quarter, Brown hit a quick jump cut and was off to the races for another huge 68-yard score. There aren’t many players in the entire country who can outrun an entire defense like Brown.
“I’ve never played with a running back where when he gets a step, you know no one’s going to tackle him,” quarterback Miller Moss said postgame.
Moss might’ve learned a little something from his running back, as he himself showcased some burst after an 8-yard scramble to the pylon. If Moss can keep winning foot races, scrambling around the pocket, Card Nation will be very pleased with their new QB.
In total, the Cardinals ran the ball 30 times for 229 yards, which was good for 7.6 yards a carry. Special teams wasted no time keeping the big plays rolling.
Doing his best Devin Hester impersonation, Caullin Lacy capitalized on every opportunity he had returning the ball. Lacy took a 93-yard punt return to the house and later had another great 31-yard return. Coach Brohm has thrown Lacy in as a return man before, having scored a 100+ yard kick return touchdown last season against Miami (FL).
“I feel like there is more to come. I feel like it’s something I have in me,” Lacy said postgame. “I wanted to do a kick return, punt return, and a receiving touchdown.”
On the other side of the ball, edge rushers and safeties were flying around the field. Speed kills, and they definitely had this advantage in all aspects of the game.
Louisville’s pass rushers were able to get into the backfield with ease. Quickly bursting past blockers, causing havoc amongst the Colonels’ offensive line. Louisville combined for four sacks as EKU seemed unmatched against the speed. It felt like the defense was always a step quicker.
This allowed for safeties to stack the box and shoot through holes. EKU was never able to get going due to the constant ambush of fast-paced Cardinal defenders. Clev Lubin and AJ Green both had great games on the defensive line, while players in the secondary, such as Justin Agu, showcased their speed by engaging in tackles for loss. On one play, Daeh McCullough came sprinting in delivering a monster hit.
Lubin, Green, and the rest of the defensive line set the tempo early. Controlling the run game was a priority, and that is exactly what they did, holding Eastern Kentucky to 1.9 yards per carry on 39 attempts. No matter the play, Lubin or Green always made an impact, getting to the backfield and causing disruption.
“It’s up to us four once we go out there and set the tone, let everybody in the country know that we are going to be a problem all year long, and you’re going to have to do some hard things to beat us up front,” said Lubin.
After week one, Louisville seems to have re-realized a big part of its identity: speed. And the red and black have it in every phase of the game.
The Cards need to rely on this strength in all three phases this season, as Brohm can’t teach speed, nor is it easy to defend, which is why this will be a key to the Cardinals’ success over the next few months.
Editor’s note: This piece is written by Connor Stanley.
