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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) - Don't ask defensive lineman Dezmond Tell what Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said to his players at halftime Friday night in the locker room at Mercedes Benz Stadium to inspire the Cardinals to an historic come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech in their season opener and Brohm's debut as head coach at his alma mater.
"Well, I ain't gonna lie. I don't even remember anything," Tell said following U of L's dramatic 39-34 victory. "I was just hyped. It was crazy, felt like a dream. I felt like we were going to win, regardless. I felt like everybody had the energy back that we brought in the first quarter, and we just came out and competed."
And that was enough to give UofL only its fourth win in 135 games when trailing by more than 14 points at intermission. The last time was a 38-24 victory at Kentucky on Nov. 28, 2015 after a 24-7 halftime deficit.
One other note courtesy of Louisville sports historian extraordinaire Kelly Dickey of Card Chronicle: It was also only the fourth win in program history with less than 10 percent third down conversion percentage. The Cards were 1-of-11 (0.083) and didn't convert its only try until midway through the third quarter.
"I didn't lift a whole lot of spirits at halftime," Brohm said. "I try to be as positive as I can, but it came down to somebody needed to challenge our players to do more, and it's got to come from me."
Brohm and his staff did its part strategy-wise, making important changes on defense."We had some guys running all over the place and not knowing where to be," he said.
On offense they helped quarterback Jack Plummer get untracked after a poor start and were much more successful getting the ball to their playmakers -- specifically Jawhar Jordan, Jamari Thrash and Kevin Coleman Jr.
Picking up where he left off last season, Jordan led all rushers with 96 yards on seven carries, including the 74-yard touchdown run that boosted UofL's lead to 36-28 with 3:41 left in the game. He showed both his power and speed on that jaunt, exploding up the middle and running over Georgia Tech defensive back Clayton Powell-Lee, leaving him dazed on the ground before having to be helped off the field.
Thrash, an All-American receiver at Georgia State last season, caught back-to-back touchdown passes of five and 20 yards from quarterback Jack Plummer and finished with nine receptions for 88 yards, both game-highs. Coleman Jr., a former standout at Jackson State, added four catches for 66 yards, including Louisville's first TD on a nine-yard reception.
"It was pretty cool coming back home, playig in front of my hometwon," Thrash said. "My biggest thing, I just wanted to make sure we got the win."
Plummer didn't come close to living up to his preseason hype in the first half, completing just three of his first 10 passes while missing several open receivers and ending the period with just 41 passing yards and an interception to go along with the TD to Coleman. But he settled down and was outstanding in the second half to finish 18-of-31 for 247 yards and three touchowns.
"I've coached Jack a long time," Brohm said of the transfer grad student who played three seasons for him at Purdue. "It wasn't his best first half, without question. He was misfiring. He was timid. He wasn't cutting it loose. He was throwing it late. He missed some open guys. If we're going to throw the ball, we have to hit those. But he played tougher the second half. We tried to do some things to take care of him and not put as much pressure on him. He was streaky at times, but he got into a better rhythm in the second half and hung in there."
"Not my best half of football, that's for sure, but I came back," Plummer said. "Proud of myself for battling back and I thought I played really well in the second half. Just need to start off quicker, and it's probably a different game if I start off right and do my job."
So there was plenty to like from the Cards in the second half. Now comes the next step of putting together a complete game when they make their home debut Thursday night against Murray State in L&N Stadium. The Football Championship Subdivision Racers opened their season Saturday night at home against Presbyterian College, also an FCS member.
"It's a quick turnaround, but that's good because I think we need to realize there's a lot of work to do and get back to work," Brohm said. "But I think our guys want to win, they care, they stuck together and they stuck together and that's what you want to see."
