Brown: Jeff Brohm knows offense. But don't expect fireworks for Louisville vs Georgia Tech

The Brohm name was built on offense. Yet don’t be alarmed if Louisville doesn’t light up Atlanta in Friday's season opener against Georgia Tech.

Whether the Cardinals win or lose against the Yellow Jackets will likely be determined more by the three things new U of L coach Jeff Brohm said he learned from legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger and has since passed on to his teams.

The Cardinals have to play harder, play tougher and play smarter.

“If you win those three things, you’re going to have a chance to win a football game and that’s what we really want to make sure, as we get close to game time, that we find a way to get that done,” Brohm said.

The Cards aren't yet equipped to overwhelm their opponents with offense. They will one day be that kind of program — perhaps even as soon as later this season — but that day won't be Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Right now, their offense has undergone too much of an offseason upheaval to be that kind of team. Former coach Scott Satterfield built Louisville around a run-heavy scheme, ranking second in the ACC last season at 201 rushing yards per game. At 205 yards per game through the air, meanwhile, the passing game lagged at No. 12 in the league.

That’s sure to change under Brohm. At Purdue last season, the Boilermakers ranked second in passing yards per game in the Big Ten (278.8) and No. 11 in rushing yards (121).

The question is how soon that change will come.

Georgia Tech’s secondary was not one opponents took advantage of last season. The Jackets are bringing back four starters from a unit that only allowed two teams to pass for more than 300 yards. Their 11 interceptions ranked sixth in the ACC.

It certainly helps that quarterback Jack Plummer, a California transfer, played for Brohm at Purdue. Offensive coordinator Brian Brohm said Plummer was, “probably the fastest freshman I’ve ever had to pick up the offense.”

Plummer was the only player who knew the offense in the spring and was able to help teach other players, outside of practice and the coaches, what to expect.

That's an encouraging starting point. But now say it again slowly — Jack Plummer was the only player who knew the offense as spring practice began. Getting an entire offensive unit to operate in unison is a steep learning curve to overcome.

Jeff Brohm didn’t outright say he plans to be more conservative offensively, but he hinted the plays he calls will come down to how well his players handle things.

“Yes, everyone needs to know what they're doing and how to do it,” Brohm said. “But you’ve got to be aggressive and allow your guys to play and give them an opportunity to win a football game in multiple ways. So we will definitely be smart, but also pushing the envelope.”

The notion that Brohm’s offense might not be ready to soar in game one goes against the reputation he’s built as an offensive innovator. After all, when Brohm has an entire summer to prepare for an opponent, his offense tends to do well.

In three years at Western Kentucky and six at Purdue, his teams combined to average 32.2 points per game in nine total season openers. They didn’t play a bunch of bad teams, either — in four of those games, his teams faced an in-conference opponent (three Big Ten, one Conference USA) and Brohm's squads averaged 32 points in those games.

The highest-scoring showing came at WKU, a 59-31 victory over Bowling Green in his first season as head coach in 2014. The fewest points his teams have scored in an opener came in his second season with Hilltoppers, a 14-12 victory at Vanderbilt.

Friday’s matchup seems likely to shape up more like that game at Vandy.

“Obviously, it’s important to start off with a bang if you can and try to get a lead in every game,” Brohm said. “But that’s not the way it’s always going to happen.”

The style points from a Brohm-infused offense will come later as the newcomers get acclimated to the new system. Until then, the Cards have to focus on putting the substance before the flash.

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on Twitter at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his column.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: Jeff Brohm offense may be muted vs. Georgia Tech