Defense Shines During Louisville's First Scrimmage of Fall Camp

(Photo of Louisville Players: University of Louisville Athletics)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ahead of Louisville football's annual media day on Saturday, the program held their first scrimmage of fall camp. It was also the first padded practice of the preseason for the Cardinals, meaning players were chomping at the bit to go full force.

Heading into the 2021 season, the defense is generally regarded as the stronger side of the ball for Louisville. Last season, the Cardinals had the 49th-ranked scoring defense at 26.6 points per game, the 39th-ranked total defense at 369.1 yards per game, and the 17th-ranked passing defense 189.2 yards per game. So it doesn't come as much of a surprise that in Louisville's first scrimmage, defense was the start of the show.

"It was probably the best scrimmage so far, defensively, that we've had since we've been here," defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said during media day. "We started the ball at the -35 for about seven or eight drives, and that was the first time that the defense held (the offense) without touchdowns. That was a great thing to see."

While a box score or final score was nor provided, the defensive dominance can best be summarized by how long they kept Malik Cunningham and Co. out of the end zone. Out of the 135 to 140 plays that were ran during the scrimmage, the offense did not score a touchdown until the 104th play.

"We're holding those guys to field goals, and getting fourth down stops," Brown said. "Very pleased with the energy, the execution, the tackling. There wasn't a lot of missed tackles out there today in the first day of pads, that was awesome."

Over the course of the scrimmage, several defenders had opportunities to make a play. Linemen like YaYa Diaby, Ashton Gillotte and Tabarius Peterson were able to dial up some pass rush pressure, and true freshman cornerback Rance Conner snagged the lone interception of the day.

"A really, really good positive day for us," Brown said. "I'm excited moving forward to see how much pressure we can actually be able to get, and I think we're getting more pressure than we did last year."

It's a far cry from when he first arrived, as Brown inherited one of the worst defenses in college football two years ago. Heading into year three under his system, the continuity Louisville has had on defense has allowed that side of the ball to be gleaming with confidence.

"They understand the defense inside and out, and they're making plays," he said. "The biggest thing I see right now, is there is like a huge brotherhood, and they're excited."

Louisville will kick off against Ole Miss in the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, down at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 6 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.

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