#ReportCards: Keith Leads ACC in Tackles; Cards Need A Lead
September 24, 2015 | Football
Wednesday's practice report
Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham
The University of Louisville football team wrapped up its work week with its final major practice of the week on Wednesday evening on the practice fields of the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex.
The defense was the topic of conversation after practices, as defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. The Cardinals haven't been as dominant as a year ago, but still have played well times, especially against the pass.
The Cardinals' biggest problem has been on third down, where teams are converting at 44 percent clip through the first three games.
"We've addressed some of the issues," Grantham said. "We have to continue to get better, but we continue to work hard, and are trying to fix some of those problems."
Grantham addressed a number of topics after practice.
(On the play of the defense)
"It can come down to one possession and one play. So we have to understand to make sure we're exact at all times, that includes practice, to make sure that we win that possession and that get off the field. That's going to be the focus."
(On the rushing defense)
"A lot of people talk about the rushing yardage," Grantham said. "We've got to continue to work on that but right now teams are running the ball roughly 46 times per game on us and it's like 4.5 (yards per carry) and last year it was like 4.1. So right now it's 46 run and 28 passes so we've got to find a way to flip that. What we've got to do is finish on the ball carrier. A second and eight cannot become a second and five because they pushed the pile."
(On the third-down defense)
"We need to create a few more tackles for losses and get people behind the sticks. First down is always the most important down to get them in second and third and long. So we've got to work on that. And then we've got to get off the field on third down because then you don't have to play as many plays. I expect us to improve each week and get to where we need to be."
(Devonte' Fields)
"He's doing good job. He's had to play multiple positions because we try to get match ups and him and Keith Brown, and sometimes Trevon Young, on the field at the same time. We've had to manage that with him to learn that. He's a smart, instinctive guy and he's done everything I've asked. He has a skill set to be a productive player. Any time you're away from this level of competition it takes a little time to get back in the groove. I would expect him to be an ascending player moving forward and make some production plays."
(On the play of the secondary)
"We're still looking at the combination of players in the backend to give us the best match ups," Grantham said. "We kind of go back and worth where to play Josh (Harvey-Clemons)."
Kelsey Leads ACC in Tackles; Having His Best Season
There is a reason junior Keith Kelsey is a team captain. The junior from Gainesville, Fla., has let his play on the field justify the fact that he deserves to be one of the five team captains. Kelsey leads the ACC and ranks 12th in the nation in tackles with 33 after three games. Besides his high tackle numbers, Kelsey also leads the squad with four tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
"Keith is a grinder," Grantham said. "He is one of our top guys. He understands what to do and how to do it. The reason he is where he is as a player is because of his work ethic. He allows us to do what we do. He i a guy who takes charge and makes sure that guys are accountable for what they have to do."
Cards Need a Lead
One of reason why the Cardinals haven't been as effective defensively as it has been in recent years, because they have played a lot from behind. Louisville never led in the 31-24 loss to Auburn in the season opener and trailed most of the game versus Clemson in the 20-17 defeat last Thursday night.
"I don't know about a common thread except for the fact we haven't forced them to play from behind," said head coach Bobby Petrino." They have been able to be patient and keep banging the ball in there and eventually making some plays. We have been playing some pretty good defense at times but not well enough when we get the lead. That is where the concerns are, the other night when we scored and took the lead I felt really good about it and then they drove right back down and scored. In the fourth quarter against Houston when we took the lead I felt like okay here we go and we will win this game and then they went and scored twice. So it is kind of one of those things where we need to play better when the game is on the line."
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The University of Louisville football team wrapped up its work week with its final major practice of the week on Wednesday evening on the practice fields of the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex.
The defense was the topic of conversation after practices, as defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. The Cardinals haven't been as dominant as a year ago, but still have played well times, especially against the pass.
The Cardinals' biggest problem has been on third down, where teams are converting at 44 percent clip through the first three games.
"We've addressed some of the issues," Grantham said. "We have to continue to get better, but we continue to work hard, and are trying to fix some of those problems."
Grantham addressed a number of topics after practice.
(On the play of the defense)
"It can come down to one possession and one play. So we have to understand to make sure we're exact at all times, that includes practice, to make sure that we win that possession and that get off the field. That's going to be the focus."
(On the rushing defense)
"A lot of people talk about the rushing yardage," Grantham said. "We've got to continue to work on that but right now teams are running the ball roughly 46 times per game on us and it's like 4.5 (yards per carry) and last year it was like 4.1. So right now it's 46 run and 28 passes so we've got to find a way to flip that. What we've got to do is finish on the ball carrier. A second and eight cannot become a second and five because they pushed the pile."
(On the third-down defense)
"We need to create a few more tackles for losses and get people behind the sticks. First down is always the most important down to get them in second and third and long. So we've got to work on that. And then we've got to get off the field on third down because then you don't have to play as many plays. I expect us to improve each week and get to where we need to be."
(Devonte' Fields)
"He's doing good job. He's had to play multiple positions because we try to get match ups and him and Keith Brown, and sometimes Trevon Young, on the field at the same time. We've had to manage that with him to learn that. He's a smart, instinctive guy and he's done everything I've asked. He has a skill set to be a productive player. Any time you're away from this level of competition it takes a little time to get back in the groove. I would expect him to be an ascending player moving forward and make some production plays."
(On the play of the secondary)
"We're still looking at the combination of players in the backend to give us the best match ups," Grantham said. "We kind of go back and worth where to play Josh (Harvey-Clemons)."
Kelsey Leads ACC in Tackles; Having His Best Season
There is a reason junior Keith Kelsey is a team captain. The junior from Gainesville, Fla., has let his play on the field justify the fact that he deserves to be one of the five team captains. Kelsey leads the ACC and ranks 12th in the nation in tackles with 33 after three games. Besides his high tackle numbers, Kelsey also leads the squad with four tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
"Keith is a grinder," Grantham said. "He is one of our top guys. He understands what to do and how to do it. The reason he is where he is as a player is because of his work ethic. He allows us to do what we do. He i a guy who takes charge and makes sure that guys are accountable for what they have to do."
Cards Need a Lead
One of reason why the Cardinals haven't been as effective defensively as it has been in recent years, because they have played a lot from behind. Louisville never led in the 31-24 loss to Auburn in the season opener and trailed most of the game versus Clemson in the 20-17 defeat last Thursday night.
"I don't know about a common thread except for the fact we haven't forced them to play from behind," said head coach Bobby Petrino." They have been able to be patient and keep banging the ball in there and eventually making some plays. We have been playing some pretty good defense at times but not well enough when we get the lead. That is where the concerns are, the other night when we scored and took the lead I felt really good about it and then they drove right back down and scored. In the fourth quarter against Houston when we took the lead I felt like okay here we go and we will win this game and then they went and scored twice. So it is kind of one of those things where we need to play better when the game is on the line."
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