Here's what to watch for in the ACC Football Championship game.
Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
JEFF BROHM IS PLAYING WITH HOUSE MONEY
I’ve been pretty clear when it comes to how I view Jeff Brohm’s first season. It’s crazy and genuinely unfair to expect him to do something that no other coach had done at Louisville. Winning ten games in a power conference is just that and he met that over-the-top expectation.
This was always attainable with a favorable schedule and a roster that needed to be tweaked but not overhauled. But, no one expected a championship berth to start the season and that should not be forgotten now that he was able to actually pull it off.
This is in no way a preamble to a moral victory of some sort but the loss to Kentucky elicited some of the weirder responses (not on this site) that I’ve seen since I’ve been doing this. Losing any game in a season should not be more important than the entire season. That will be the case no matter what the outcome of the game is on Saturday or beyond. Brohm deserves his credit.
KEON COLEMAN IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING INSANE
If you’re reading this you are likely a fan of college football and I hope you’re looking forward to watching this guy. Coleman is a freakishly athletic player and he has a knack for producing a highlight play or two in every game.
Coleman has 11 touchdown catches on the season and he has only been held out of the endzone twice in 11 games. He is also a dynamic punt returner who has shown that he can make something out of nothing even though he is 6-4/215. Every time you watch FSU, you just expect Coleman to do something wild.
LOUISVILLE WILL SEEK OUT BIG PLAYS ON OFFENSE
FSU has one major red flag on defense and it is giving up big plays. The Noles are equal opportunity when it comes to the big plays as well as they’ve been gashed against the run and pass. The FSU linebackers are very good but an issue for them all season stood out in the Florida game last weekend. They get lost in the “wash” too often and end up being out of position.
The Noles have also given up some big passing plays and this is where I think Jeff Brohm will look to get some big plays. The adjustments that Brohm made this season took away shots down the field in the passing game but what reason does Brohm have to not bring them back? UofL has nothing to lose. Brohm has even less to lose.
JARD VERSE HAS TO BE CONTAINED
There is an underrated reason for Louisville being 10-2 right now and its not allowing great defensive players to make big plays against them. Kam Kinchens had a ridiculous interception for Miami but UofL have faced a handful of very good defensive ends that specialize in rushing the passer and the impact has been minimal.
Jared Verse has been able to pick up a lot of pressures and a handful of sacks this season in spurts. Verse’s production hasn’t fallen off all that much but he was able to make plays in nearly every game last season while this year he has been contained a bit. Verse only has a sack in four games this year with a total of seven on the season. The Cards have to avoid letting him have a big game.
LOUISVILLE HAS TO START FAST
When Jordan Travis was lost for the season with a major injury, FSU was down two scores to North Alabama. Last weekend, they started off in the hole against Florida after giving up multiple scores. There is a trend with the Noles and its starting slow and having to turn things around in the second half.
Louisville needs to be aggressive on both sides of the ball to start this game. Ron English should be looking to stack the box to take away Trey Benson and Jeff Brohm should be taking shots down the field early and often. While FSU has found themselves in close games, they have also separated from teams early on and UofL isn’t likely to be able to to keep up if they get behind early.
