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00:00 let you open up with a statement. I'm just talking about the season today and then the
00:04 championship game come this Saturday and then we'll open it up to questions. So if y'all are
00:08 ready we'll go ahead with Coach Braun. Okay well thank you. Well without question we're excited
00:14 about this great opportunity to go down to Charlotte playing the ACC championship game
00:18 against a tremendous undefeated Florida State team that's been just really fantastic all year long.
00:26 They've got a ton of talent, they're well coached, they've been able to win every game, close games,
00:32 blowouts, you name it, but they find a way to win. So I think they just know how to dig deep and
00:37 figure this thing out and because of it they've earned the right to be an undefeated team in
00:45 this conference championship and we're excited to have the opportunity to play them. And I think our
00:49 guys understand that it's going to take a lot of work this week. We've got to improve on a lot of
00:54 things. This past week didn't go as well for us as we would like and there's a lot of things to
00:58 learn from it and that starts with me and our coaches and we've got to get better at a few
01:03 small details that hurt us this past week and make sure we make those corrections and help our players
01:09 be in the best position to succeed. But I know our guys will be jacked up and excited to play in this
01:13 type of environment and level of competition and it'll be a tremendous test for us
01:18 and measure exactly where we're at. All right coach we'll open up for questions. CL
01:24 Brown. Jeff how big is a game like this in terms of building the brand of Louisville football
01:31 nationally? Without question it's a huge football game for us and you know we're now in the
01:37 national spotlight against an undefeated opponent that has a great chance of making the playoff and
01:43 you know for us you know we've got to prove our value and we've got to go out there and
01:49 you know make this a competitive game give it our best shot come ready to play prove that
01:55 we're a capable team and do it for four quarters and I think you know anything can happen if you
02:02 come prepared and you you know play your best for four quarters and that's what we want to try to
02:08 do but we know against you know this type of team that the margin for error is very small and that
02:13 we've got to you know really have a great week of practice and attack this thing head-on and
02:19 be really sharp come game time. And just if I could follow that is this kind of the next step
02:24 too in terms of making appearances in games like this and establishing you know again the Louisville
02:31 brand so you know you get in more homes recruiting and all of that kind of stuff?
02:37 You know everything matters without question and you know when you get to play on national
02:43 tv in this type of game people are watching and they're going to see how you play and what you're
02:47 about and you know how tough is this team and what type style brand of football do they play
02:54 and I want to be a part of it and I want to watch it and so I just think everything matters.
02:59 I think I know that you know from my experience our coaches know that that you know we've got to
03:05 really be sharp and we've got to make sure we take advantage of this opportunity and represent
03:09 you know this conference in the right way and make it a very competitive game and
03:14 try to get this thing in the fourth quarter.
03:16 Alexis you're next. Hey Jeff you'll be in a conference championship for the second straight
03:24 year. I guess what did you learn or what did you take from being able to get Purdue to the
03:29 Big Ten championship that has helped you guys this season to get where you are?
03:32 Well we learned a lot of lessons last year and playing at Purdue and definitely going to the
03:38 Big Ten championship game. You know we were able to face the undefeated Michigan team
03:42 and if I'm not mistaken it was 14 to 13 at half. We had played some really good football
03:48 and unfortunately we came out in the second half and you know we turned the ball over and then they
03:53 hit some big plays on us and you know that kind of you know sent the game in the other direction.
03:59 So I you know the margin for error is so small and when you play a team that is undefeated and
04:04 very efficient and knows how to win and does all the small things correctly you've got to figure
04:09 out a way to do that for four quarters and I just think even this year in our in our regular season
04:13 you know the two games we lost you know we were not as sharp. We had three turnovers in both games.
04:19 We gave up big plays on defense. This past game we were not great on special teams and just all
04:25 those things matter and when you play really good football teams you can't have those type of errors
04:30 or it's going to cost you. So we have to understand that it's we're not it's going to be very hard to
04:34 overcome anything like that when you're playing this type of team. We're going to have to really
04:38 be sharp. Matt Baker. Hey Jeff, when you've done your film study or initial film study on Florida
04:47 State what jumps out in particular about Mike Norvell's offense? Well they take advantage of
04:53 their personnel very well. They've got big old tall receivers and they know how to throw it to
04:56 them and those guys can run they can catch the quarterback's going to give them a chance to make
05:00 plays. You throw that in there and they've got a really solid offensive line. They got running backs
05:04 that are really strong, run the ball physical, don't fumble the ball, take care of it. They
05:08 secure it as tight as any running backs we've seen in the way they run. So you can tell their coach to
05:12 do that the right way and then they've had you know two different quarterbacks come in and excel
05:18 and I know I'm not mistaken Florida State played a little bit last year and you know the current
05:23 quarterback played in the game and brought him back to victory. So this guy's battle-tested and
05:27 I just think that shows the type of talent they have. They utilize it well. They're really hot
05:32 right now. They're playing confident. They know how to just find a way to win no matter if they're
05:36 playing their best or not and that's a sign of a great experience and really good coaching.
05:40 Jody Dimlin. Jeff you've played two big physical defenses two weeks in a row. Another one this
05:50 week coming up with Florida State. What do you see from Florida State's defense and then and
05:56 early on and looking at them and how they play? Well they're athletic and that's not only just
06:01 on the front line which they're tall and athletic there and they get after the quarterback but
06:05 very active at linebacker really good in the secondary. Their challenge routes
06:09 and they make you beat them and they make you earn you know your points. So I just think
06:14 you've got to really figure out a way to protect things up. You got to make sure your quarterback's
06:19 jersey is as clean as you can keep it. You've got to figure out ways to move the ball multiple
06:24 different ways. You've got to give them a couple looks that they haven't seen before
06:28 and be very efficient doing it. So I think that has to happen and at the same time you know our
06:34 defensive special teams have to play well also. So I think all three segments really got to step
06:39 up to the table and come through. Horry at Bozema Media.
06:44 Good evening coach. Does FSU losing former Cardinal Jordan Travis at quarterback change
06:56 your guys game planning defensively that much if any and also did you ever think your impact
07:02 in your first year at UofL your alma mater would be as big as it has been?
07:06 Well on Jordan Travis that's a very generational quarterback. You know he has those Lamar Jackson
07:14 skills where he's just athletic. He's smooth in the pocket. He can run and make plays but he's
07:18 actually developed great passing skills and was as efficient as anybody you know playing football.
07:24 Except for the Heisman and you know probably had a chance to win it if he stayed healthy.
07:28 So credit goes to him and those guys for developing him. You know but their backup
07:34 quarterback has come in and done a good job. Now he's not quite the runner and as elusive but you
07:40 know he's very efficient. You can tell he's played a lot of football and you know he utilizes their
07:44 weapons well. The tall receivers and the running backs and tight ends. So he does a really good
07:48 job. As far as here you know what you know I try not to overthink things a whole lot. You know I
07:55 came here with a purpose and you know when you come back home there's a lot of people depending
08:01 on you to get the job done. So you know I take it seriously and it bothers me when we can't find a
08:06 way to win and it bothers me if we're not playing up to par and that's the way it should be. I think
08:11 that's what the fans want. They want somebody that cares and makes sure and is going to make sure that
08:15 we're doing everything possible to get it done and so that's what we got to do. And you know so
08:21 every loss bothers me. I would love to have the game back last week but it is what it is. You
08:25 got to learn from it and to be able to play another team of this caliber in a championship
08:32 game gives us an opportunity to step up to the plate and see we're made of. So you know these
08:36 are the type of games that if you put in the effort and you put in the time and you're sharp
08:41 you can really do and if you put it all together and do something special it can you can take a
08:46 huge leap. At the same time if you don't you know it can be a punch to the gut and can get
08:54 you back down in reality. So we've got to figure this thing out quickly and really take this week
08:59 seriously and understand that if we don't come ready to play this team will put it to us.
09:04 Good luck coach. Thank you. Michael Ferreira.
09:10 Coach Michael Ferreira here. Kind of a two-part question for you here. Your quarterback Jack has
09:15 been you know he's a veteran he's been you know to a couple schools and stuff like that. How do
09:20 you think his experience will help him in a big game like this? And college football is so special.
09:26 Can you kind of talk about how the fans have meant to you guys this in your first season with Louisville?
09:33 Okay so Jack Plummer is a great young man. You know really works hard, cares, wants to win,
09:40 has played a lot of football. I think he understands his strengths, his weaknesses. We try to play to it.
09:46 He can be very efficient at times and other times you know we just got to be really careful
09:51 making sure we take care of the ball and I think he's tried very hard to do that. You can't play a
09:55 perfect game and you know we want to just get the most out of Jack as we can and help him
10:01 not have to carry the whole team on his shoulders and use the running game and some other things to
10:07 help him defense special teams so he doesn't have to make all the hard throws. But he's done a really
10:13 good job at this point and I just think that you know because he cares that he's trying hard the
10:19 players see it and they respect that. As far as your next question was oh our fans. You know what
10:27 you know I know this fan base I have for a long time. They're passionate about winning.
10:31 They want to support a championship type level program. They want to compete against the best
10:39 but they just want to see a great brand of football. Guys that are into it, they're trying
10:43 hard, they're giving everything they got and they're competing to the end. So I hope that we
10:47 have provided that this year to a certain degree. While there's many things to learn upon you know
10:54 I want our guys to play hard, play tough, and play smart and play to the end. And that's got to be
10:58 the mantra that we build off of. And of course as you develop talent and you continue to you know
11:04 get better as much as you can you've got to lean on that as well. And this fan base was in full
11:10 force for the Kentucky game. They did their part. Unfortunately we did not do ours but you know I
11:16 think they saw a really tight ball game. They went down to the wire and we didn't quit. We kept playing
11:22 to the end but unfortunately just couldn't get it done. So you know they want another shot this week
11:27 at a great team and you know this is a great football team. So this while we played some good
11:32 football team this year this is the best team we've faced to date without question. They've
11:36 proven it every week. They've got talent across the board. They're well coached and they're playing
11:41 as confident as anybody right now. Coach our next question comes from David Hale.
11:49 Hey Jeff I'm just wondering in your early reviews of Florida State over the last couple of weeks and
11:56 as you mentioned the game against Louisville last year do you see much difference in what they're
12:01 doing offensively or how open they want to be offensively with Rodemaker at QB versus Jordan
12:07 or is it just a matter of a different you know a different skill set a different experience level
12:11 between the two QBs? Well you can tell they've opened up things from his last game against
12:17 Louisville here. I thought they were a little more conservative and they tried to
12:21 manage him and and use the running game and throw those big receivers and he did a very good job of
12:26 it. Now I think he's got a better grasp of the system. He's been able to sit back and watch
12:31 Jordan play and also absorb the offense and get in there and play himself and he feels confident
12:39 in his weapons. You can tell you know he knows how to throw the ball. He knows how to move when he
12:43 has to. He gets it to his playmakers well. You can tell he's smart and understands exactly what
12:49 the plan is so you know this is a good quarterback and you know while Jordan Travis is a generational
12:56 quarterback you know this quarterback here has played a lot of football and he's been very
13:00 efficient and you know he knows how to win ball games. Matthew McGavitt. Jeff over the last few
13:11 games the defense hasn't been as dominant as it was earlier in the season and you mentioned in
13:15 postgame yesterday how you thought it had been subpar over the Virginia, Miami and Kentucky
13:20 games. What do you think has been the primary difference over the last few games as to why
13:24 the defense hasn't been nearly as efficient and effective as they were earlier in the year?
13:28 Well I think we've got to make some corrections as coaches so myself and our defensive coach has
13:34 got to take some ownership and you know put our players in the best position to succeed and I
13:39 don't think that has happened fully and because we've made some critical mistakes I'm not going
13:45 to put on the players I'm going to put on us so we've got to get that fixed. So whether that's
13:49 simplifying things or understanding and teaching the details of the plan in more detail or
13:55 being more aggressive less aggressive you know I don't want to give away everything that we're
13:59 going to try to do but you know we've got to get it fixed and you know when you give up a lot of
14:04 big plays the last three games you got to go back and see why did we give them up and what was the
14:09 call and how can we get that fixed and then you got to go back and see what were the calls that
14:14 worked well and how can we concentrate on those and then add a couple different wrinkles every
14:20 now and then. So I just think you know we haven't been as sharp so obviously the teaching of the
14:29 plan has not been as if as in detail as I would like so as coaches we've got to do a better job
14:37 and that starts today and it's got to continue all week. Next we have Michael McCammon.
14:43 Hey Jeff, Matt just kind of took my question but another one that I have for you is you guys have
14:51 done really well focusing on this one game mindset this this one game season all year long.
14:58 As this team is returning you know following Saturday night's loss what's been your your
15:04 thoughts your reaction on how they've responded immediately to that loss?
15:08 Well they're not happy and I'm probably as unhappy as any of us and I think that's
15:16 while it's no fun it's healthy to be angry and unhappy for at least 24 hours so we still want
15:23 to let that sink in us a little bit and sting us and you know really digest you know the plays we
15:32 ran and what we could have done better and how and why. So that is the focus throughout the rest of
15:37 today and you know we're gonna go through every detail and look and cranny of it and then our
15:44 players day off is Monday and then they'll get rejuvenated and we'll finally put it behind us
15:49 and we'll move on to the next game as we prepare for you know a tremendous opponent but you know
15:55 it's supposed to sting and that's supposed to hurt and you know that's that's that's that's
16:00 sports competitive sports at a high level and you know eventually you just got to put it behind you
16:06 because you know the next test is even is is very tough. Alexis.
16:15 Jeff obviously you weren't here last year when when the ACC had the Atlantic and Coastal divisions
16:20 but coming from the Big Ten that does have divisions just curious your thoughts on this
16:24 model this season without divisions and kind of going the excuse me the top two percentage winning
16:30 percentage teams. Well I think if you ask a lot of people that's the fair way to do it and I think
16:37 you're going to see probably most conferences going to that same format you know to get your
16:42 two best teams in the championship game and you know we're fortunate enough to to be second right
16:48 now and have this opportunity but I firmly believe in that plan and I know there's some tie breakers
16:54 that have to happen if things get close because you can't play everybody now but I do think it's
16:58 the best route to go and I think if you want to you know try to get you know teams from your
17:02 conference in the playoffs you know you want to you know pit the two best teams against each other
17:06 and hope that the pieces fall in the way they'd like. Jody. Jeff the way you did the the success
17:17 you had in the transfer portal last year and you in your first year and coming here in early
17:21 December do you change the way you attack it moving forward as you get ready for obviously
17:27 this week's game but then next week when the portal opens do you change how you attack things
17:31 or kind of your game plan going in and then the second part of that the next month does get kind
17:36 of crazy how important is it for you and your staff over the next month to not only coach your
17:42 team for this game in a bowl game but to also build the roster? I think everybody has probably
17:48 put put a lot of time and effort into recruiting to this point as they're trying to win football
17:53 games and they've got staff and people assigned to making sure we're on top of the portal and
17:58 you know when things break and activity happens you got to be on top of it and
18:03 without question it's our job to improve our roster every year and that's just kind of how
18:08 the rules have been set up. I didn't make the rules the rules have been set forth for us and
18:14 you know we have to adapt to them so being on top of the portal making sure you understand
18:21 in the end who's coming back and who maybe isn't coming back and and maybe what positions can you
18:26 get a little bit better at or provide some more competition at we've got to do it and you know
18:32 it definitely helped us this past year even when we brought in guys as late as after spring practice
18:38 that was very beneficial to our team so we'll continue to be active that's the way college
18:44 football is set up and we want to make sure that we you know for guys that want to be here and
18:50 play at a high level we want to provide them with the best teammates they can to help them win.
18:57 As long go ahead. Thanks Kevin. Coach I know talent and execution win football games but
19:05 does a conference championship game is there a different kind of element to this it's
19:09 week 14 of the season it's a neutral field there's not as much advanced scouting involved
19:15 does it put a little bit more onus as you as a head coach you have a little bit more control
19:19 exertion on the outcome of a football game like this? Well I think championship games are a lot
19:26 of fun for not only players and teams and schools but for everybody involved you know
19:30 you know for one game you get an opportunity to put yourself out there and try to say that
19:36 you're the champion of your conference and for us to be able to play a team of Florida State's
19:40 caliber after the year they've had to have an opportunity to try to beat them in the conference
19:46 championship game would be huge for us in our program so you know between now and then we've
19:51 got to you know put our head down and go to work and and see what we can figure out to try to put
19:56 a plan together to see if we can knock this great football team off so you know they're a lot of fun
20:03 because you know it's basically the end of the year other than the bowl game and you know if
20:09 you can find a way to win you can really create some attention and some momentum for your school
20:18 so we're going to work hard to try to do it. Gary Graves you were next. Yeah Jeff even though
20:27 Jamari and Jawar have been injured you know they they're still contributing what things have you
20:33 seen from them to kind of adjust and and come back from those injuries and and still be part of the
20:39 the the offense? You know I'm proud of both Jawar and Jamari they're great teammates both guys have
20:48 had significant injuries during the season and they've tried to practice through it they've tried
20:52 to play through it they've played when they haven't been 100 percent and you know every team is going
20:56 through the same thing but these guys you know haven't shut it down and it hasn't been a scenario
21:02 where hey I'm going to play when I'm 100 percent no these guys have played way before they've been
21:06 100 percent and tried to give back to their team so that's all we can ask and I think the teammates
21:12 respect that about them there's probably a few others doing the same thing as well but you know
21:18 when you when you love the game and you love your teammates and you want to try to do something
21:22 special you're willing to you know give it everything you got so you know those guys I think
21:28 hopefully every week can get healthier and healthier and contribute more and more and help us
21:32 win games. Go ahead Chris I'm a Harvett fan. Hey coach this is Chris Idell from Harveston Radio
21:39 and Baltimore congratulations on winning. I talked to you last year when you were at Purdue
21:42 so this year I was talking to you in Louisville so what's what is the thing you brought from
21:47 Purdue to make you guys you know make Louisville be so successful this year?
21:51 You know I think I've been fortunate enough to be a player for a while, a consistent coach for a
21:59 while, a head coach for a while, a lot of different spots. Had the opportunity to go to Purdue and for
22:04 six years and try to help elevate a program that was not doing as great as they would like for
22:10 quite a while and I thought we made some really good strides and progress and you know we found
22:15 a way to get the tables turned with the team we had and then adjusting the team every year to try
22:21 to make it better and it was work. I mean you know it's one of the reasons I took the Purdue job is
22:26 because I knew I had to prove my worth going there. It wasn't you know waiting for you know
22:31 Notre Dame and USC to open it was going to try to help elevate a program that needed help
22:36 and that's fun to do. Now it's hard work and you've got to figure it out and be willing to withstand
22:44 some gut punches every now and again that take you down so I just think you know myself and some of
22:50 our coaches we've been battle tested. We know what it feels like to lose. We know why we've lost
22:55 sometimes. We know how we can try to get more out of our guys than we possibly can and maximize
23:03 their potential in order to win. I think you have to think outside the box, have some creativity,
23:09 take a few chances and then you know do what you do best. So because of that I think we were able
23:17 to win a lot of close games this year that we usually could have lost but we hung in there
23:21 and found a way to win enough to get to this point so we'll continue to on the same path and
23:27 just try to keep getting better. If I could follow up real quick, Wilson the wide receiver for Florida
23:31 State, how good does he look? He looks like Benjamin used to play there years ago. How tough
23:37 is he to defend? Well he's really good. He's really big. He's really tall so I don't know if I have
23:43 anyone to match up with him as far as his stature so that's what'll be the challenge is you've got
23:48 to figure out if you need to double team him, if you single him up, is it off, is it press,
23:54 is it press bail, are we just doing a couple of different things to throw him off. I mean he's
24:00 just that talented and when they get in a one-on-one situation with him they're going to
24:03 throw him the ball and even when he's covered they're going to throw him the ball. They're
24:07 good at it and that's probably when he makes his best catches because he can catch the ball in
24:11 traffic like no other and then you throw on Coleman on the other side and that's another
24:16 big receiver. So you know these are hard matchups and you've got to scheme it up and you've got to
24:24 be able to take your chances when it's one-on-one and hope that they don't throw it to them. Hope
24:28 that they're running the ball or doing something different and you know they present a lot of
24:32 problems. Thanks Coach. See you in Charlotte. Thank you. Coach we have two questions left.
24:38 CL Brown you'll go ahead. Jeff how much of kind of a collective chip on the shoulders does this team
24:44 have knowing that you know it's not like you have a bunch of star players that have kind of carried
24:51 you know the success this year the team and you might even have some critics who say the scheduling
24:57 and the ACC played a part in you being able to make the conference championship game?
25:03 Well our guys play at the chip on their shoulder and they're hungry and they have been all year
25:08 so I'll give them a lot of credit for that. They've wanted to win. They found a way to win close games
25:13 you know we've won some good against some good football teams as well and then we played some
25:20 really outstanding games overall a couple times that have been really really efficient.
25:26 So I think we know what we're capable of and I think that because of that we understand if we
25:33 can put it all together for one game in four quarters yeah anything can happen and that's
25:39 what's special about it is can you find a way to do that for four quarters match up against a team
25:45 like this figure it out be aggressive take some chances and see if you can you know win the small
25:53 battles of turnovers and penalties and all that at the same time and as everyone knows and just
25:59 like rivalry week this past week a lot of close football games against some teams that maybe
26:04 the records weren't as quite as close so anything can happen can happen to become ready and prepared
26:09 and our team will work hard and they'll come out with something to prove and hopefully we can
26:13 you know hang in there for a good while. Yeah does this team have anything to prove to you?
26:18 I mean that do you feel like you know anything left? Well I think you'd like to you know you're
26:25 all the goal is always play a perfect game and to be really efficient and I think we like I said I
26:32 think we had a couple games this year where man we were really efficient but it's just hard to do
26:37 against you know really good opponents so that's always the goal and you know you don't want to
26:41 ever put it past your team that you can do it against you know great football teams so you
26:47 know that's when this thing gets really special and fun and then you can have a feeling in your
26:55 heart for you know the rest of your life that man we did something that no one thought we could do
26:59 so that's what the goal is and I think these guys understand that hey we got one shot to win a
27:06 championship we we fought our way into this game while we're playing a great undefeated opponent
27:12 that has played outstanding to this point you know it's a one game deal now and can we you know just
27:18 figure it out for for one game and put it all together and and then cut a loose from there.
27:22 All right our last question of the day comes from Ira. Hey coach Jarvis Brownlee is a guy that
27:30 obviously started his career at Florida State and had some success here and he's had success
27:35 for you as well could you talk about him as a player and do you when you have a situation like
27:39 this and I guess it's going to be more and more common now with the transfer portal where guys
27:42 are going up against guys they used to play with do you when you have those situations do you talk
27:47 them through that beforehand or or just let them handle it if they're mature guys? Well Jarvis for
27:53 us you know we've just been here this one year has been outstanding as far as great teammate,
28:00 hard worker, a true competitor. You know unfortunately about four weeks ago or so he
28:07 got injured but until then he didn't miss a snap and didn't miss a practice and really did some
28:12 good things but since the injury you know he's been out for a while and he just kind of got
28:18 back this past week was the first game he played for maybe a month. Is he fully healthy? No but
28:24 he went out there and played so hopefully we can get a little healthy this game but you know he's
28:29 got good instincts he's played a lot of football you can tell he's got swagger and I'm sure he'll
28:34 be jacked up for this game so you know we want to get him out there let him do his thing and
28:38 you know let him try to win one-on-one battles and prove his worth and what he can do but
28:43 you know he's a competitor you just try to you know build your team with you know a bunch of
28:48 competitors just like him that show up every day and do it in practice and then it easily
28:53 carries over to the game and I think that's what you're always trying to get is guys that can do
28:56 that every day and build on that and he's definitely been a great competitor. Thanks.
29:01 Thank you. Coach Brown, thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you in Charlotte
29:05 this weekend. Okay thanks guys, y'all have a good night.