Jeff Brohm Cautiously Optimistic Regarding Injuries to Louisville's Top Offensive Players

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program was able to secure a dominating 40-17 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday, and they were able to do so with their three of their top offensive playmakers banged up in some capacity.

Just before kickoff against the Falcons, the Cardinals announced that star running back Isaac Brown and standout wide receiver Chris Bell would be limited, while backup running back Duke Watson would be out entirely.

Bell finished that game with four catches for 51 yards, but that also included a drop, and he was not the primary focal point of the passing game. Brown has just one 18-yard carry in the first quarter, and didn't see the field again.

Louisville did not disclose the nature of the injuries to the three players banged up, but based on postgame comments by Jeff Brohm, they don't appear to be serious. While the head coach of the Cardinals wasn't sure when Bell, Brown and Watson would be fully healthy, he was cautiously optimistic that they could return for their next game at Pitt.

"Well, I'm not for sure when we'll have everybody back," Brohm said. "I would like to have them back tomorrow. Hopefully we can get them back for the (Pitt) game. We'll see how the week goes. I am very hopeful that happens."

Over the first two games of the year, Brown had been off to an explosive start. While he had just 18 carries entering the matchup vs. BGSU, that went for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Bell had been Louisville's leading receiver, catching nine passes for 146 yards and a touchdown, all of which led the team. Meanwhile, Watson had been off to a slow start to his sophomore campaign, rushing for only 15 yards on nine carries.

Brown put together a dynamic true freshman campaign for the Cardinals last season. Appearing in all 13 games and making nine starts, including the final eight, Brown rushed for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns on 165 carries, while also catching 30 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown.

As a result, Brown took home numerous accolades. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors, was named the ACC Offensive and Overall Rookie of the Year, and was named a Freshman All-American by PFF and 247Sports. He had even been named a preseason All-American by multiple outlets, and was named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.

Bell has made steady improvements each year in college, and is coming off of a career year. Starting all 13 games in 2024, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound outside receiver caught 43 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were second on the team to Ja'Corey Brooks. Along with Brown, he was also named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.

Even with Brown getting most of the spotlight at running back, Watson put together a breakout true freshman year as well. Playing in all but one game last season, the 6-foot-0, 180-pound back rushed for 597 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught five passes for 60 yards and a score. His 8.91 yards per carry led all of the FBS (min. 75 percent of games played, 4.0 rushing attempts per game).

Louisville will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 27 when they travel to Pitt for the ACC opener and first road game of the season. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. EST.

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