The Louisville Cardinals' tumultuous football season has predictably resulted in a coaching change, which was revealed on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals announced that they have fired head coach Bobby Petrino, right in the middle of a 2-8 regular season. Athletic director Vince Tyra announced the news in a press conference on Sunday and admitted that he "did not have confidence" that Petrino could turn the team around by next season. He added that the lack of confidence meant that the changes "needs to start happening now."
The Cardinals have dropped seven straight games after a 2-1 start, including five straight losses in ACC play by at least 18 points each. They have dropped games in blowout fashion against two tough opponents in Syracuse and Clemson each of the past two weeks. The Cardinals had led the conference in scoring each of the past two seasons, but rank last in that category this season at 21.7 points per game.
Petrino's second stint with the Cardinals was highlighted by him coaching Lamar Jackson to a Heisman Trophy win in 2016, but that success has gone down since Jackson left for the NFL. His team has allowed 50 points or more in five of 10 games this season, including a season-high 77 in a loss to Clemson on November 3rd. His first stint with the team was much more successful, as he went 41-9 from 2003 to 2006 before leaving to coach the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL during the 2007 season.
The rumors for the Cardinals' next target center around Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm, who is a Louisville native. The 47-year-old was also a quarterback for the Cardinals, and has spent the last two seasons as the coach of the Boilermakers. He went 7-6 in his first season with them, and is 5-5 this season, including an upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State on October 20th. Brohm was an assistant with the Cardinals from 2003 to 2008, and could very likely be heading back there in a higher position next season.
The Cardinals have dropped seven straight games after a 2-1 start, including five straight losses in ACC play by at least 18 points each. They have dropped games in blowout fashion against two tough opponents in Syracuse and Clemson each of the past two weeks. The Cardinals had led the conference in scoring each of the past two seasons, but rank last in that category this season at 21.7 points per game.
Petrino's second stint with the Cardinals was highlighted by him coaching Lamar Jackson to a Heisman Trophy win in 2016, but that success has gone down since Jackson left for the NFL. His team has allowed 50 points or more in five of 10 games this season, including a season-high 77 in a loss to Clemson on November 3rd. His first stint with the team was much more successful, as he went 41-9 from 2003 to 2006 before leaving to coach the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL during the 2007 season.
The rumors for the Cardinals' next target center around Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm, who is a Louisville native. The 47-year-old was also a quarterback for the Cardinals, and has spent the last two seasons as the coach of the Boilermakers. He went 7-6 in his first season with them, and is 5-5 this season, including an upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State on October 20th. Brohm was an assistant with the Cardinals from 2003 to 2008, and could very likely be heading back there in a higher position next season.
