What To Watch For: SMU Mustangs

JEFF BROHM NEEDS TO GET ISAAC BROWN IN SPACE

Through two games, Isaac Brown has not been able to break a big run, and he has been bottled up on a good number of his rushing attempts. Both teams keyed on him when he was in the game and committed players to the box when he is in the game, and they are playing downhill, looking to stop him before he gets going. It's the right thing to do if you're a defense facing Louisville, but it has led to the rest of the offense having tons of room to operate.

There are a lot of theories about Brown's lack of production, but he did have a few runs against Villanova where he got into the second and third levels of the defense. His biggest run came right before halftime with Nova playing soft to protect against a big passing play. Brown found a cutback lane and ended up with a 26-yard run.

With teams keying on Brown, Jeff Brohm needs to scheme him into space. Brown has only had one designed passing play called for him this year. He has also not been used on jet sweeps, and he hasn't been featured as much on the option runs we've seen.

Brohm has said that they need to find ways to get Brown in space, but this week will be the opportunity to show it. SMU likes to play aggressively to create negative plays. Brown should see some screens as well as some misdirection runs to get him on the edge of the defense. Using him as a decoy has been great for the offense, but they can do both.

WILL MARK IVEY USE A SPY ON KEVIN JENNINGS

Kevin Jennings is where the SMU starts and ends. They are a team with plenty of talent on offense, but this team would struggle without Jennings. They would also be less than effective if you could contain his legs. Jennings is a great runner, but where he is at his best is when he is extending plays to find an opening.

Louisville has been aggressive so far this season with blitzes and other types of pressure looks. I think it might be in their best interest to use that fifth rusher to spy Jennings. The Cards have had very little success getting home with their pressures or with their base four-man rush. But Jennings would likely shred the defense even if they do get pressure.

Jennings finished last year completing 70% of his passes against pressure with an NFL passer rating of 101. He thrives when you come after him, and he has that option to run the ball if you don't get home. With the rush not getting home so far this year, you might be better off covering in the back end and hoping those pass rushers can get there, with Jennings having to hold onto the ball.

LINCOLN KIENHOLZ NEEDS CAN'T TAKE A STEP BACK

The first half of the Ole Miss game had some very rough moments for Lincoln Kienholz. That was the last time he looked rough. Linc has been a revelation for the offense as he has been able to beat defenses with his arm and his legs. Jeff Brohm has done a great job of utilizing him on designed runs, and Kienholz has also done well scrambling and extending plays.

The Cards can't have Linc take a step back from the way he has been playing. Louisville has a top-10 offense right now, and he is leading one of the most explosive attacks in the country. But he is the leader of what we are seeing, and there is so much more left to unlock with this offense.

No one has benefited more from defenses keying on Isaac Brown than Linc. Teams are selling out on the play-action boot plays that led to Jaleel Skinner's long touchdown last weekend. Teams are also flowing with the fake on jet sweep and sweep fakes, which has opened up massive running lanes for Linc in the middle of the field. He has to avoid making mistakes on Saturday or turning the ball over. A nice clean game from him has been what this offense needed. That can't change.

LOUISVILLE'S SECONDARY CAN EASE THE DOUBTS

The Cards have allowed three passes of 60+ yards so far this year. They've only allowed two other passes to go for 30-40 yards. The first number is the worst in the nation. The second stat would put them among the best in the country without the other big plays. But that's not how this works.

The secondary for Louisville has been questioned by many, and the numbers show why. Those three long plays account for half of the touchdowns the defense has given up this year. Two of those plays you chalk up to Trinidad Chambliss and Deuce Alexander being very good. The issue is that they've had issues in coverage on more than just the one long touchdown given up to Villanova.

The Wildcats had a wide-open receiver run free on a bad pass early in the game Saturday. They also had a 22-yard pass to another open receiver due to a coverage bust. Getting beaten by other good players is one thing. They have struggled to be on the same page in the back end, which will lead to easy points against this passing attack. They have to clean up the errors and contain the other team so that they can get the ball back to the offense to continue to do the damage they've been doing.

SMU WILL TRY TO SCREEN LOUISVILLE TO DEATH

UofL struggled to get off the field on defense early against Villanova. The reason for that was the lack of an ability to stop Nova's screen game. The Wildcats ran what I call an "abbreviated tunnel screen," where the receiver comes inside for the ball but only to get behind the tackle and guard who are sprinting out to get in front of them. They ran this over and over again to take advantage of the Cards' aggressive pass rush, and it worked. The Cards ended up adjusting, and the defensive line looked to sniff out the play during their rush.

Part of the reason that I wonder if Mark Ivey will use a spy is because I also wonder if he will look to deploy an overall scheme to contain this offense. The SMU offense can beat you over the top, but they are really at their best when Jennings is creating things with his pocket movement and his ability to get outside the pocket. Keeping everything in front of you is a sound game plan, and it also helps to make sure you don't allow the SMU quick game to turn short passes into long passes.