Defense Looks to Build Off Last Week's Performance

LOUISVILLE, Ky - University of Louisville defensive coordinator Bryan Brown praised his defense at Tuesday's weekly press conference which helped lead the Cardinals to their first win of the season at UCF last Friday night.

Friday night's performance has served as a confidence booster for the defense, one that Brown hopes his unit can carry into the rest of the season.

"It was huge for us to not only finish a game but when you think about last season we lost multiple games by four points or less while giving up fourth quarter scores," said Brown. It was huge not only for the defense but the team's morale as well. It was gratifying to see those guys finish plays because we've seen it all fall camp."

Transfers Jarvis Brownlee (Florida State) and Quincy Riley (Middle Tennessee) were both praised by Brown for their high-energy play and their willingness to step up and make plays when the team needed them.

"Those guys are doing a tremendous job of coming in and embracing the culture as well as doing the best they can to learn the schematics as fast as they have," said Brown. They're great guys to be around and great teammates so the team has really rallied around them. They come in everyday ready to work, give everything they have in the weight room and out there on the field this summer. They're just competitors so it's great to have those two guys on our roster right now which allows us to do a little bit more in terms of defensive play calling."

Louisville (1-1, 0-1 ACC) will play at home for the first time this season against in-conference opponent, Florida State (2-0, 0-0 ACC). Brown's main concern this week is preparing for Florida State's dual-threat quarterback Jordan Travis. Travis, a former quarterback for the Cardinals, is among the ACC's leaders in total offense early in the season. He has accumulated 509 yards of total offense with two passing touchdowns as well as a rushing touchdown in Florida State's first two games against LSU and Duquesne.

"Jordan has done a great job in the first couple games. He's grown a lot to where he's keeping his eyes downfield, throwing the ball with more accuracy, and making plays with his legs," said Brown. He's been tremendous these first couple of games leading one of the top offenses in the country. It's going to be a challenge for us this week so it'll be key for us to settle in early and make plays."

The Cardinals have won the last two encounters with Florida State, including a thrilling 31-23 victory in Tallahassee last season and a dominant 48-16 performance at home in 2020.

Louisville will look to keep the defensive momentum rolling as they host the undefeated Seminoles on Friday night at Cardinal Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN.

Players Mentioned

Jarvis Brownlee, Jr.

Quincy Riley

University of Louisville Athletics