Jeff Brohm 3:2 against top 10 teams at home

There's truly something masterful about how Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm uses his magic to concoct game plans against top-10 teams at home. It worked at Purdue, toppling No. 2 Ohio State in 2018 and No. 3 Michigan State in 2021.

It worked last season when No. 10 Notre Dame was sent back to South Bend in a 33-20 humiliation. Brohm was 3-1 at home against top-10 teams heading into Saturday's showdown against No. 6 Miami.

But the Hurricanes had their own magician, and quarterback Cam Ward cast a spell that has yet to be broken this season. Cool Hand Cam's four touchdown passes helped the Hurricanes bounce back after losing a 14-point lead with less than 90 seconds left to play for a 52-45 win at L&N Stadium.

As great as Brohm was in those situations, U of L doesn't have a player at Ward's level who can shred the best game plan in its defense into confetti.

“A great quarterback can make a big difference, and he is a great quarterback,” Brohm said. “I just think the attitude he has is not very common. He is able to stand there and pass the ball under pressure without batting an eyelid. Always.”

Ward erases her mistakes.

And for an undefeated team with a vision of its first ACC championship since joining the league in 2004 — you read that right, Miami has never won the league — the Canes are making a lot of it.

U of L capitalized on the game's momentum, rousing an announced crowd of 59,155 — the second-largest in L&N Stadium history — in the third quarter as two plays erased a two-touchdown deficit.

Caullin Lacy returned a kickoff 100 yards for the score just after Miami took a 31-17 lead. Then U of L's Thor Griffith forced the ball loose from Mark Fletcher Jr., and Jordan Guerad recovered by setting up a 21-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Shough to Ja'Corey Brooks to tie the score.

Ward, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 319 yards, was unflappable. The Cards had a chance to force a turnover on downs when the Canes ran Fletcher on a four-and-1 on their 34th. Fletcher got the first and on the ensuing play, Ward completed a 63-yard pass to Xavier Restrepo, who scored a touchdown.

Ward was caught out of the pocket on the play, and Miami's Elijah Arroyo likely escaped with a grab on U of L's Ashton Gillotte. But it just showed how calm Ward is under pressure. He has thrown for at least 300 yards in every game this season.

“Obviously he can get out of the pocket,” U of L defensive tackle Ramon Puryear said. “It’s hard to say if he’s going to use his legs to climb or if he’s going to sit in the pocket and look for a receiver.”

Brohm dug deep into the playbook and showed early on that he would remain aggressive with his calls. The Cardinals went for a four-and-1 from their 32 in the first quarter when they were behind by three.

In the second quarter, Brohm caused a flea flare after the two-minute timeout. It didn't surprise Miami. Shough threw an incomplete pass, but he should have kept them on guard.

Late in the third quarter, with the Cards trailing 38-31, Brohm took his biggest risk of the game by making a fake punt on fourth-and-7 from the U of L 28. It paid off when Duane Martin, a backup tight end, took the snap and ran 14 yards for a first down.

The Cards converted a second fourth down drive and scored to tie the game at 38 points. But that would be the last time.

Ward showed throughout the game what a star can do for you, but especially when it matters most. He gave the Canes the lead for good when he kept the play alive and struggled to throw a 59-yard pass to Sam Brown Jr. that resulted in a touchdown.

That's what Louisville is missing more than anything else this season. The defense again showed signs of lacking tackles. They allowed eight explosive plays of 20 or more yards. They didn't challenge Miami's receivers the way Brohm wanted.

But the Cards have lost three games by a touchdown in each game. Louisville is still a good team. Just without Cam Ward, who would make the difference in close games.

Reach sports columnist CL Brown at [email protected] and follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at Profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to ensure you don't miss any of his columnsS.

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