Jeff Brohm Wanting to See More Defensive Pressure Up Front From Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Last season, the Louisville football program was mostly known for their incredibly disruptive defense. The Cardinals had one of the best units in the nation when it came to generating havoc in the form of sacks and tackles for losses, and it was the primary reason for their turnaround in the second half of the season.

However, through the early goings of the 2023 season, Louisville has not had nearly the success they last season in terms of getting in the backfield. In fact, the Cardinals have gone from one of the best in teams in the FBS at creating pressure to one of the worst.

While first year head coach Jeff Brohm isn't sounding the alarm just yet when it comes to Louisville's inability to put up sacks and tackles for loss, and is more so concerned with securing a win vs. the manner in how they secure it, he does want to see his defense make meaningful strides when is comes to creating pressure.

"Yes, we want to try to create more pressure and sacks, that's important to us. In the end, the bottom line is winning, and keeping points down and yards down. We had a couple chances in the backfield, it didn't land last game. So we need to figure out what exactly how we can help that do a better job."

How drastic of a difference is Louisville's drop in sack and tackle for loss production? Last season, the Cardinals were the No. 1 team in the FBS in sacks per game at 3.85 per game and No. 7 in tackles for loss at 7.5. So far through three games, Louisville has just two sacks and 13 tackles for loss. This equates to just 0.67 sacks and 4.3 tackles for loss per game, which is good for 126th and 111th nationally, respectively, out of 133 teams at the FBS level.

Brohm says that some of this is schematically related, with Louisville a lot of time placing an emphasis on locking down on the back end in coverage. Still, regardless of the defensive play call and the assignments of the personnel on the field, he wants to the see defensive line have much more success, and the coaching staff is actively looking for ways to fix this.

"Having that perfect combination of bringing heat and pressure, and also 'Alright, how can we maybe lock things up better and cover tighter in certain situations to allow some more time to get in there?'," he said. "That's the balance you have to have. But yes, we're going to look hard again at how we can create more pressure and sacks, and affect the quarterback. That'll always be something we look at every week."

Louisville's trouble getting home isn't for a lack of trying. According to Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals' 57 total pass rush pressures are tied for fifth in the ACC, while their 49 quarterback hurries are second in the league only to Miami. The only problem is that these attempts to go after the ballcarrier in the backfield are falling just a couple steps short of their intended target. It's a similar problem that Louisville's 2021 defense had.

On top of continuing to work with their defensive players on the practice fields, in the weight room and in the film room to help them find more success in this department, the coaching staff is also thinking outside the box.

Much like how many teams have a turnover belt (or any other prop) to celebrate when a player gets an interception or forces a fumble in a game, Louisville now has the "sack stick." It's a two-tone red and black Louisville Slugger that currently sits in the defensive teams meeting room, and it serves as an extra bit of motivation for a player to - you guessed it - get a sack.

"I like the sack stick, it's a cool deal," linebackers coach Mark Ivey said. "It's something that each position group gets to hang on to for that week, and we don't do a lot of those different things."

As Louisville fans bore witness to last season, sacks play a crucial role in keeping the opponent off the scoreboard and helping fuel a winning effort. There is now empirical data to back this up.

According to Ivey, research done by Louisville shows that over the past six years, if a drive features a sack by the defense, there is an "83 to 85 percent" chance that said drive will not end in points, even if said drive got all the way to field goal range.

While the sack stick serves as a motivational tool to help Louisville generate more sacks and tackles for loss, in a way, Ivey says it's also one of the many tools they utilize to help secure a win at the end of the day.

"We do try to talk about that, just to motivate and say, 'Hey, those sacks, they're important because they help us win ball games. So sure, that is one little gimmick to try to say, 'Hey, let's get more of these things and reward you for it, and talk about it, and praise you for it.'

"But really, it's just a way to understand how we got to win ballgames, and those sacks will help us win ballgames, because when their offensive coordinators calling the next play from 2nd and 15th or 3rd and 12, there's a big difference than when they're on course with their down and distance."

(Photo via Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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