If Georgia Tech is to keep its name among ACC title-game contenders, and if it is to prove that its defense has improved from a year ago, or even two weeks ago, it must find a way to stop Louisville’s offense. And that’s a task easier said than done since coach Jeff Brohm took over the Cardinals ahead of the 2023 season.
Louisville (2-0) is scoring 33.8 points per game during the infancy of the Brohm Era, a number bolstered by the team’s 111 points in games so far this season. In 12 of 14 games in 2023, the Cardinals scored at least 21 points and eight times they put up at least 31 — including dropping 39 on the Yellow Jackets in a five-point win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Offense has been the calling card for Brohm, a former Louisville and professional quarterback who helped create high-scoring attacks at Western Kentucky and then Purdue before returning to his alma mater.
“It’s a pro-style offense in a lot of ways, but it’s also very adaptable to the college game and some of the spread elements,” Tech coach Brent Key said. “They can line up in two backs under center and run just as much as they (line up) in the shotgun spread out of empty sets. Big challenge for us to be able to defend it, play sideline-to-sideline, endline-to-endline.
“It’s a big challenge for us as a defense as a whole to be able to get off blocks, pursue to the football, affect the quarterback and be able to contest his throws, then when the ball’s in the air have the opportunity to come down with it.”
The quarterback for this iteration of Louisville’s offense is Tyler Shough, a former Oregon and Texas Tech QB who has played nearly 1,400 snaps in six-plus college seasons. Shough, 6-foot-5, 225 pounds from Chandler, Arizona, is 39-of-57 passing for 581 yards this season.
Shough’s main target in the pass game is Ja’Corey Brooks, an Alabama transfer who has grabbed 13 passes for 172 yards and a score thus far. He’s one of three Louisville receivers with at least one touchdown reception. Tight end Mark Redman has hauled in a pair of scores as well.
But Louisville doesn’t just live and die by the pass. Three running backs, all freshmen, have totaled more than 100 yards on the ground through two games. Junior Maurice Turner has a team-high 16 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown.
“They’re a very-balanced attack,” Key said. “They have four running backs that they feed in there to get the ball. They’re explosive players. They have explosive players on the outside. They have a big physical offensive line and tight end group. It’s the whole gamut.”
The numbers and the matchup (on paper, anyway) should be concerning for Tech, given it did not pass its last serious defensive test.
On Sept. 7, in Syracuse, New York, the Jackets gave up 515 yards to the Syracuse Orange, 381 yards through the air, four passing touchdowns, an average of 6.6 yards per play and surrendered 10 third-down conversions. It was a black mark on what has otherwise been a solid start for Tech as a team and for coordinator Tyler Santucci as a whole.
That unit cannot afford another repeat performance of what happened in the JMA Wireless Dome earlier this month.
“I think it’s good that we played (Syracuse) early. We figured out what went wrong,” Tech defensive lineman Josh Robinson said. “I think that this week we can improve on what we did bad and fix it.
“Every day (the pass rush is) a big emphasis because the last couple games weren’t that good. But this week I feel that we’re gonna get back there and have a lot of sacks.”
The Jackets go into the matchup ranked 125th nationally in first downs allowed, 108th in fourth-down defense, 107th in sacks, 98th in passing-efficiency defense, 94th in takeaways, 81st in passing defense, 64th in third-down defense, 66th in total defense, 56th in red-zone defense and 51st in scoring defense.
In three wins this season, Tech is allowing 13.3 points per game compared with 31 in the loss to the Orange.
“I think they’re better on defense this year,” Brohm said Monday about the Jackets. “They’ve made some changes there, you can notice it on film. They’ve done a good job each week.”
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