New Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm joins Fenway Bowl broadcast: Here's what he said

Louisville football fans will have to wait more than eight months to see what their Cardinals will look like under new coach Jeff Brohm.

But they got to see Brohm during Saturday's Fenway Bowl in Boston against Cincinnati.

Kind of.

Brohm joined the ESPN broadcast team of Chris Cotter and Mark Herzlich midway through the third quarter with U of L leading 21-7 to talk about being hired to lead the school he once quarterbacked. His video call came about an hour after his predecessor, Scott Satterfield, did the same, joining the broadcast team to talk about the Bearcats and leaving U of L.

Wish comes true:Be sure to thank Brooke Brohm for Jeff's return to Louisville

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What's next:After the Fenway Bowl, when will Louisville play Cincinnati again for the Keg of Nails?

Staff taking shape:Louisville's coaching staff reportedly adds Western Kentucky alum Ryan Wallace

Here are the highlights of what Brohm had to say during the Fenway Bowl broadcast:

Jeff Brohm elaborates on why he left Purdue after six years for Louisville football coaching job

Brohm's first question was about leaving Purdue for his alma mater. His explanation should sound familiar to those who watched his introductory press conference at U of L.

"It's my home, it's where I played, it's where I was born," he said. "I just felt after six years coaching at Purdue, a great university with tremendous leadership, that we made a lot of progress to come away and get to the Big Ten championship game. So I just thought the timing was right to come back home and try to help this football team here at Louisville."

New Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm 'thrilled to death' to coach Cardinals

Brohm was asked what he thought of the roster, which will lose some key defenders to the NFL and also longtime starting quarterback Malik Cunningham. The Cardinals are likely to pursue a veteran in the transfer portal to challenge Brock Domann for the QB job next year. But Brohm, who has been in the building barely a week, likes what he sees up and down the roster.

"I'm thrilled to death to get a chance to coach these guys," Brohm said. "I think that they play hard. I got a chance to watch a practice last week, they practice with a great energy, I thought they were fired up to play in this bowl game. I really felt that they would go out and do a great job, which they have to this point, they're really playing good football. A really good group of guys. I think that this football team's hungry, they want to go out and prove themselves, and I think they're eager to get back on the field next season and show what they're all about to the new staff. So we're excited just to get things underway, and just a really good group of guys."

Louisville coach Jeff Brohm praises work done by player development's Deion Branch as interim coach during Fenway Bowl

Deion Branch has served as interim coach for the bowl game since Scott Satterfield left for Cincinnati two weeks ago. Upon Brohm's hiring three days later, U of L made it clear Brohm would not coach in the Fenway Bowl. But the Cardinals alumnus was asked about Branch, another former Cardinal, and praised Branch's work with the players and the trust he's gained.

"Deion Branch is a tremendous person, he's achieved a great deal, not only here at the University of Louisville but also in the NFL," Brohm said (Branch was MVP of the 2005 Super Bowl). "So he demands and has earned a lot of respect. And I think the players understand that he's there for them, he wants to help them achieve their goals. He's done a great job in this bowl game in getting this team ready to play."

More on Branch:Current Louisville, Cincinnati interim coaches are no strangers to Keg of Nails rivalry

Did Jeff Brohm make a subtle pitch to bring back Keg of Nails?

Not really, but you could read it that way. The last question Brohm answered was if he played in the game when he was a Cardinal. Brohm, of course, did, and called it "a great rivalry." But he made note of how fans loved the game and players were invested. A strong endorsement for a permanent reunion? Not quite.

"Yes, I did (play for the Keg), quite a few times," Brohm said. "It was a great rivalry and something we did every year. Really, it's something our fans appreciated. These teams are about 90 miles apart and you get together and you're always trying to win that football game. We had a lot of fun in that rivalry game."

Follow assistant sports editor Jake Adams on Twitter @jakeadams520 or email him at jadams@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville vs Cincinnati Fenway Bowl: What Jeff Brohm said