By Whitney Spencer
As the whistle blows, a defensive unit takes to the field with a hurried pace. Each player finds their spot, awaiting the coaches’ go-ahead. When the second whistle blows, bodies roll across the ground and storm towards one sideline, chasing the runner out of bounds. Once the player steps out of bounds, the defense isn’t finished. The sound of cleats still digging in the ground is audible as they continue to jog in place. At the sound of the third whistle, every player sprints to huddle around one of the defensive coaches before stepping off the field.
No player was spared a tongue lashing for being slow to their position on the field, slow to the sidelines, or slow getting back to the huddle. Yet the coaches weren’t the only ones making their voices heard. Players were often heard holding one another accountable for slow starts and finishes.
“Each guy will be held accountable for his actions,” said first-year head coach Charlie Strong. “We will do what we have to do to get this program back on track.”
This accountability was being shown on both sides of the ball. As the players began to shake off the rust from not playing during off-season, there were plenty of dropped balls on offense and missed opportunities on defense. Senior wide receiver Troy Pascley dropped a pass during a route running drill and junior linebacker Dexter Heyman let the ball glide past him and into the hands of a receiver while he was in coverage. As each of these players sprinted to the sideline, they positioned themselves away from the drill line and began to fall to the ground, giving up-downs for their missed opportunities.
Strong brings a whole new system to the University of Louisville, as he harps on the players to develop the fundamentals. The change in intensity was exciting for the fans that gathered on Wednesday, March 24 and Friday, March 26 during the team’s first open practices.
“It’s good to see the coaches getting after the players in this way,” said Sam Hayes, one of the many fans in attendance. “I’ve seen more intensity on this field today than all of last season.”
As the former defensive coordinator at the University of Florida, Strong won two national titles. He brought two other coaches from the national championship team with him, in defensive coordinator Vance Bedford and running backs coach Kenny Carter. Though it is more work, the players seemed to be open to the changes, given the dominance that resulted from this intensity in Florida.
“He’s after us,” said junior defensive tackle Greg Scruggs. “It’s good for us. It’ll push us to be disciplined. It will push us to be better.”
During the first open scrimmage, on Saturday, March 27, the Cards played physical with their pads on, as they were working to meet Strong’s defensive challenge from the day before. He wanted to see some toughness up front on both sides of the football. The Cardinals practiced for close to three hours. For the last five periods of practice, the Cards took part in situational scrimmages. Strong put the Cardinals through fourth-and-short situations and also some fourth-and-long plays.
The offense got the better of the scrimmage, but both sides had their good moments. Sophomore running back Darius Ashley picked up where he left off last season, with strong runs including a 12-yard touchdown. Senior linebacker Brandon Heath got in on the action to intercept a pass from senior quarterback Adam Froman in the end zone. Still, the defensive players found themselves running sprints after practice. Strong is working to build the mental and physical toughness of this team, something they lacked last season.
“When you look at it…in the second half, for some reason, we collapsed,” said Strong. “Let’s go finish the game. It’s time to take another step and finish the game.”
The Cards will continue to take steps to building towards a more successful season. Practices will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 4 p.m.
