Photo by: Carl Schmid | Louisville Athletics
Brown Excited to See New 2020 Schedule
August 06, 2020 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville got a second glimpse of the 2020 football schedule as the Atlantic Coast Conference released a new 11-game model on Thursday morning.
The Cardinals will play 10 leagues games and also have the opportunity to open the season at home against in-state rival Western Kentucky on Sept. 12.
With the release of the schedule, there was a sense of excitement among the players knowing that they are that much closer to a season, and it gave the coaches actual opponents to prepare for this season.
"It was awesome to see teams with actual dates," defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said. "It added a little extra at practice today. It gave the players a little excitement to prepare for practice and Western Kentucky. They are a good football team. They went 9-4 a year ago and have good players returning on both sides of the football."
The Cardinals have three Friday night contests on the schedule this season after being shutout on that day last season. Louisville will play at Georgia Tech on Oct. 9, host Syracuse on Nov. 20, and play at Boston College on Nov. 27.
"It really does give the players a little extra excitement to play on Friday nights," Brown said. "Plus, we have a couple of open weeks before that. Any time the players play under the lights, it adds a little extra motivation. They will be excited for those Friday night games."
Since returning to the practice field on Tuesday, Brown stated that he can feel the intensity out at practice and in the meeting rooms. The Cardinals finished their third practice on Thursday morning, and Brown has seen the production get a little better after each practice.
"The atmosphere has been awesome," Brown said. "It was great to be back in the room with our guys talking ball. It's been great to be out there competing every day. The guys are loving it and there is competition on both sides of the football."
In only three practices, Brown has seen a big difference in how his unit has competed. The Cardinals improved by almost 10 points per game, but Brown knows there is plenty of room for improvement.
"The first thing we have accomplished is competition." Brown said. "We are competing on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the guys are competing and punching the ball out. It's a little different this year from last year."
Depth has been a word that has been tossed around over the last two seasons. Since taking over the program, the staff has worked tirelessly to correct some of the depth problems from previous seasons.
"We have a lot of young guys in our two-deep. We have a little inexperience in the second group. But as the season progresses, I think we will be building that depth. We aren't there yet, but I feel better about where we are compared to a year ago."
One newcomer that Brown highlighted was transfer Kei'Trel Clark, who came to Louisville after one season at Liberty. He recorded 39 tackles and six pass break-up in his lone season with the Flames.
The native of Richmond, Va., joined the Cardinals in July and has made an impact on the defense in those first three practices.
"One of the bright spots has been Clark. He's had a couple of interceptions and some pass break-ups in the first two days of practice," said Brown. "He's a quick corner who loves competing and loves tight coverage."
The Cardinals hit the field for the fourth practice on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.
The Cardinals will play 10 leagues games and also have the opportunity to open the season at home against in-state rival Western Kentucky on Sept. 12.
With the release of the schedule, there was a sense of excitement among the players knowing that they are that much closer to a season, and it gave the coaches actual opponents to prepare for this season.
"It was awesome to see teams with actual dates," defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said. "It added a little extra at practice today. It gave the players a little excitement to prepare for practice and Western Kentucky. They are a good football team. They went 9-4 a year ago and have good players returning on both sides of the football."
The Cardinals have three Friday night contests on the schedule this season after being shutout on that day last season. Louisville will play at Georgia Tech on Oct. 9, host Syracuse on Nov. 20, and play at Boston College on Nov. 27.
"It really does give the players a little extra excitement to play on Friday nights," Brown said. "Plus, we have a couple of open weeks before that. Any time the players play under the lights, it adds a little extra motivation. They will be excited for those Friday night games."
Since returning to the practice field on Tuesday, Brown stated that he can feel the intensity out at practice and in the meeting rooms. The Cardinals finished their third practice on Thursday morning, and Brown has seen the production get a little better after each practice.
"The atmosphere has been awesome," Brown said. "It was great to be back in the room with our guys talking ball. It's been great to be out there competing every day. The guys are loving it and there is competition on both sides of the football."
In only three practices, Brown has seen a big difference in how his unit has competed. The Cardinals improved by almost 10 points per game, but Brown knows there is plenty of room for improvement.
"The first thing we have accomplished is competition." Brown said. "We are competing on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the guys are competing and punching the ball out. It's a little different this year from last year."
Depth has been a word that has been tossed around over the last two seasons. Since taking over the program, the staff has worked tirelessly to correct some of the depth problems from previous seasons.
"We have a lot of young guys in our two-deep. We have a little inexperience in the second group. But as the season progresses, I think we will be building that depth. We aren't there yet, but I feel better about where we are compared to a year ago."
One newcomer that Brown highlighted was transfer Kei'Trel Clark, who came to Louisville after one season at Liberty. He recorded 39 tackles and six pass break-up in his lone season with the Flames.
The native of Richmond, Va., joined the Cardinals in July and has made an impact on the defense in those first three practices.
"One of the bright spots has been Clark. He's had a couple of interceptions and some pass break-ups in the first two days of practice," said Brown. "He's a quick corner who loves competing and loves tight coverage."
The Cardinals hit the field for the fourth practice on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.
Players Mentioned
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