Watch: Mark Ivey, YaYa Diaby Talk Spring Practice

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Last season, the defense for Louisville took a bit of a step back. After posting a top-40 total defense in 2020, the Cardinals allowed their opponents to compile 403.3 yards per game in 2021 for the 84th-ranked defense in FBS.

Football, on both sides of the ball, is a game that is won and lost in the trenches. While defensive line coach Mark Ivey knows that his unit is far from perfect, he is optimistic for 2022 based on what he has seen early in spring practice.

"We still got a lot of work to do. There's still a whole bunch of stuff to continue to improve upon daily, but I'm very pleased with them," Ivey said. "Attitude and effort is always gonna be paramount, and I think the guys have grown in that area."

Louisville might not have been the most impressive on defense last year, but there is reason to believe improvement is coming. They retain several key playmakers such as Kei'Trel Clark and Monty Montgomery, as have a healthy mix of newcomers to help plug holes.

"As a defense, we're coming along really well," defensive end YaYa Diaby said. "Especially with all the new guys like Momo (Sanogo), M.J. (Griffin), those guys are picking up things real quick. I feel like after after the spring, we're gonna be really good.

Louisville will have their first chance to display the team to the public during the spring game on Sunday, Apr. 3.

Following Friday's practice, Ivey and Diaby took time to meet with the media. They discussed how the defensive line has progressed, the competition at all spots, the nose tackle rotation, the progression of Caleb Banks, and more.

Below are the videos from their press conference:

Defensive Line Coach Mark Ivey

Defensive End YaYa Diaby

(Photo of YaYa Diaby: Melina Myers - USA TODAY Sports)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter

Add us as a preferred source on Google