Jeff Brohm, Louisville Head Coach

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Get it? Meow. Hey there football fans, I'm Brian Baldinger, and I'm thrilled to introduce you to The Best Football Show, a podcast that's an exhilarating journey through the world of the National Football League. Join me each weekday, breaking down those spine-tingling moments, dissecting top players, and offering my unique perspective. Prepare to get smarter about the game we all love with every episode of The Best Football Show, where the game comes to life. Huddle up with me for football experience like no other.

Follow The Best Football Show on the free Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks so much for it, and how you been? I'm doing great, thank you for having me. Well let me start you off with the game up against Miami from this past weekend. The final few minutes were mayhem, with Coleman turning up the jets, then you guys have that big goal line stand, and then the Hail Mary by Miami comes up just short. When you're walking off that field after getting your 10th victory, knowing you're going to the ACC title game, just what were some of the emotions that you were experiencing? Well, without question, we were really, really happy. It was a big win for us to go down to Miami and play a really, really talented football team.

They were even more talented than I thought when I watched them in person on field. So I thought we played pretty well for the most part. We hung in there, we showed some fight, we showed some toughness, we showed the ability to kind of overcome a few mistakes here and there. And to win in the end was just a great feeling. And I just think that we wanted to try to get to that ACC championship game, not going in the back door. We wanted to do it our way, come out with a win. We hadn't won a Miami ever, so to go down there and to beat a really good football team was a big win for our football team.

I know that this is home for you, but you never know how year one is going to go and you've been doing this for a long time. You've got to build trust with your players and the players have to believe in you. Why has this worked to this level this quickly here in your number one?

Well, I think we don't try to overcompetate things here. I think I try to be as real and as genuine as I can. I'm here with a purpose and that's to try to help this football team win. I try to help this university, this fan base experience success. Because I live here and have to go home to it, I'm going to put everything I can into getting it done.

And so I just think that I've tried to invest as much as I can. Our staff has done a good job, who also has a lot of ties to this area and this university. We understand the importance of trying to win and win right away.

I think we've had some good players on our team from this past year. We tried to gel them with some new transfers and new additions and we just try to do things the right way. We want to treat guys right but we want to work hard. We want to find a way to win. We want to be creative in our approach.

We want to think outside the box. We do everything in our power and I think it starts from the head coach all the way down. I have to do my job. I can't be a figurehead. I've got to put the work in.

I've got to invest. I've got to take the blame when things aren't going well. I've got to be able to adjust and have answers to problems and our coaches do as well. And then we kind of circulate that down to our team.

I just think if our team is willing to work hard, identify our mistakes every week whether we win or lose and try to get better and come out every week and try to improve and be really good at the small details, you're going to have a chance to win. And I just think for the most part they've bought in. They've done a really good job. Without question they enjoy winning.

It's meant a lot to them and I think it entices them and gets them to work even harder. I remember Jeff Brom, I talked to Sonny Dykes last year when TCU was off to that 4-0, 5-0 start and he even admitted he was a bit surprised how quickly things did come together. If I would have told you before the start of the season, going into the Kentucky game, you guys would have already had a trip booked to the ACC Championship game and you only would have one loss on the resume, what would you have said to that?

Would you have believed it? Well, you know what, I don't put anything past anything but being new and not understanding the league, I wasn't for sure, I'm not going to lie. I just try not to think too far down the road. I think if we just kind of take care of business every day and do the best job we can and prepare and make sure we're adjusting and make sure that we're all doing our part, anything can happen. At the same time, there's a lot of games this year we could have easily lost. So we're sitting here at this 10-1 point, we could have easily lost 4 or 5 of those games, but we did the small things and we just found a way to get it done. So I just think you've got to have a little bit of luck, you've got to work hard and you've got to try to keep guys healthy.

I just think things have bounced away a little bit, we've ran with it and we've got to continue to try to do that. If you have success at your alma mater, there is nothing better than that, but you always know it could go the other way, so that's why sometimes guys are skeptical to take over the reins at a place that has meant so much to them. Why was the timing right? Why did you want this job when you elected to leave a good job in Purdue and go back to Louisville? Well, I just have so many ties to this area. My family, I have a big extended family and I owe a lot to this university and this city as well. It gave me a lot and supported me along the way.

I just think you always want to give back to people that have helped you get to where you're at. I got a chance to make my way around the world a little bit, playing and coaching. I had an opportunity to come back here four years ago and decided not to and I thought it was for the right reasons, even though a lot of people wanted me to and were a little bit angry when I didn't.

But I just thought it was the right thing to do. When it came around the second time, you know what, I just felt like I gave my all to Purdue for six years. We found a way to get to starting with nobody in the stands and not winning many games at all, to getting to a Big Ten championship game on our sixth year and going to multiple bowl games and winning a lot of big games. I just thought we elevated the program and got it back to a really good level where they can take it and run with it. I just thought it was time to come back home.

While I was somewhat young to give back and try to help this town, this university, and yes, correct, knowing that I live here and know so many people, I knew the pressure was going to be on. It's important that we win. It's important that we win now.

It's important that we play a good brain of football that people want to come watch and be a part of. But that's the risk that you take. Every time you step on the field, there's a chance you can lose. There's a chance you can win. Unfortunately, half the teams win and half lose and there's nothing in between.

You've just got to figure out a way to get it done more often than not. I really enjoyed the competitiveness of trying to get this done. Obviously, we still have a season left to play because I think we have a huge game coming up this week and we've got to try to win against Kentucky. I know that you said, and I was reading this earlier today, that the Kentucky game is the most important game of the season. I understand it's rivalry week, but some people turn their heads in multiple directions. They hear that.

They go, wait, what did he just say? Because you have an AC championship game the following week and potentially a New Year's six bowl. So just go through the explaining for people that didn't understand your quote, I guess, from a few days ago.

Well, I'll explain it. Trust me, if you live in this city, if you live in this town, if you live in this state, this game is the most important game of the year. University of Louisville hasn't won this game in the recent past, and it's time that we try to find a way to win this game. This fan base wants to win against Kentucky. It's a rivalry that is probably more powerful than people think outside of this state, and we have to find a way to win. So I just think you have to put importance in a rivalry game. In high school, I played in a big rivalry game with Trinity and St. X, two big schools, and I understand the importance of winning and what it means to the fans and what it means in the offseason and what it means to the people on the team.

A lot of this fan base with Kentucky and Louisville, they live next to each other, live in the same neighborhood. I just think you have to put importance in that game. And yeah, sure, when we get to the ACC championship and the bowl game, it's going to be extremely important as well, but there's no way we can look past this football game and not understand that this is the most important game of our season.

You know the relationships that you build when you do this. Florida State's have an incredible season. You guys will meet up, Jeff Brahm on December 2nd for the ACC title game. But I was gutted for Mike Norvell and his program over the weekend when they lose their quarterback, their leader Jordan Travis for the season. Just how did you react to that when you saw that unfortunately unfold?

Well, it's very unfortunate. The last thing you want to do is see a devastating injury happen to anybody, especially probably one of the best quarterbacks in the country who's on an undefeated team. So we wish him a full recovery. We wish their team the best. They've had an outstanding year.

They had their backup quarterback step in and they scored 58 unanswered points. And he's played a lot of football too. So I'm sure this team will rally behind that. They have a lot of really good football players on their team. So you know what?

We just really hope and pray that he has a full recovery and that he's able to continue playing at the next level because I think he's going to have a very successful career. If you guys beat Kentucky and you beat Florida State and you get to 12-1, what would your pitch be to the college football playoff committee about being one of the four teams that are left standing? Well, I know how this thing works. I'm a football fan myself.

I think that for us we've got to take care of our business. There's other really good football teams out there and I'm sure if they win our chances may not be as good. But at the same time, you never know what's going to happen. This is rivalry week this week. There could be some upsets.

So every week matters and that's why it's important from a coaching and players perspective. You can't look beyond that. Fans can't.

They can see the future and they can predict and they can hope all these things. That's great and we love it. But from our perspective, we have to take care of business here to have any chance to advance. And that's how you have to look at it. If you win, you advance. If you lose, then you're out of that mix. So it's really important that we concentrate on this game and have a great week of practice and try to beat Kentucky. Coach, appreciate the time. Your team has had a heck of a season this year.

Good luck the next two weeks and we'll see how far you guys can take it. Appreciate you doing this. OK, thank you.

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