The routine after Jacksonville State’s 55-27 loss to Coastal Carolina was no different from any other for Rich Rodriguez, who has adopted the “24-hour rule” when it comes to celebrating wins and sitting in losses.

While it was a quick turnaround, the veteran coach and his staff “didn’t see anything that we couldn’t fix.”

“I also saw things that we had to fix,” Rodriguez continued. “We had an extra two days afterwards to try to, one, fix from what we did wrong in the first game, and then try to get ready for the next game.”

The next game will be one of the toughest in the program’s second season of FBS play, as Jax State (0-1) will be welcomed by No. 22 Louisville (1-0) for its first road game of the season and first game against Power Four competition since last year’s game against South Carolina.

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The game will kick off at 2:30 CST and will be available to watch on ACC Network Extra or ESPN+.

The Cardinals opened their season with a 62-0 shutout of FCS Austin Peay, leading 59-0 at the end of the third quarter and scoring on six of their first seven possessions.

“It’s a great opportunity for our players,” Rodriguez said. “It’ll be a great venue against a really good team, and our guys know the challenge in front of them. Great effort, great focus all week in getting the chance to play Louisville.

“I think they’re probably the best team in the ACC, at least one of the best teams. They played for the championship last year and coach Brohm and his staff do a great job. I think our guys will be excited for the challenge.”

Rodriguez said he and his team are looking forward to not only the challenge of another Power Four team, but a chance to build on its mistakes against Coastal Carolina and give his players more momentum.

“After a couple of days, we got back to work, we had a little walk through Saturday and had what I thought was a pretty good Sunday practice,” Rodriguez said. “For today and tomorrow, I’ll see where their focus and attention is, but I would be shocked if our guys aren’t ready to play another game. The sooner you play another game, the better you can get the last one out of your mind, so to speak.

“I don’t want to say that’s typical first game stuff, because we shouldn’t have had that in any game, but at the same time, we’ve got to get better and I know we can play better than what we did in the opening game.”

Receiver Michel Pettway, who had a 92-yard receiving touchdown against Coastal Carolina, emphasized that the team is taking things day by day and following the plan the coaching staff has put forth.

“We watched the film, learned from our corrections, learned from our mistakes, and moved on,” the Thompson High alum said. “Like coach said, the 24-hour rule. We don’t sit there, we don’t dwell on it. It’s in the past now, it’s already happened, and the best that we can do is learn from our mistakes and be better.”

Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte, who is regarded as one of the top defensive prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, highlights a Louisville defense that has plenty of veterans, both in returning talent and portal acquisitions.

The Cardinals’ offense will be led by quarterback Tyler Shough, who transferred to Louisville this offseason after stints at Oregon and Texas Tech. He completed 18 of his 24 passes against Austin Peay, totaling 232 yards and four touchdowns.

Former Alabama wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks was Shough’s favorite target in the win, hauling in seven catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s been around a bit,” Rodriguez said of Shough. “A lot of respect for him, and he’s been a proven guy, and they’ve got really good skill players. In the first game they got up so big so early, it was kind of hard to judge, and for the most of the second half, didn’t show a whole lot because they didn’t have to. It’ll be a very, very talented team that plays hard, and like I said, they’ve got good players across the board, but we do too.”

As for Jax State’s quarterbacks, Rodriguez says Logan Smothers and Tyler Huff are still starters at the quarterback position for Jax State headed into the contest.

Smothers, who started the game, finished 7-of-13 for 61 yards in the air, while Huff went 7-of-14 for 173 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. UConn transfer Zion Turner also earned a mention as part of the team’s depth at quarterback, as well as Te’Sean Smoot and Fairhope alum Caden Creel.

“We have some depth at quarterback,” Rodriguez said. “That wasn’t a good game for us in the first game from anybody, but we can play better. I’ve got a lot of confidence in those guys, all of our quarterbacks, that they can play some really good football.”

Defensively, Rodriguez said his team has a lot to work on as it gave up 55 points and 294 rushing yards – both figures were the most given up at Jax State under Rodriguez.

“We have to fix some things this week fundamentally, then as coaches try to find some things that our guys can do well and things that won’t confuse them,” Rodriguez said. “That was a disappointing part; like I said, it wasn’t everybody on every play.”

Linebacker Laletia Hale, who came away from Thursday’s game with eight total tackles (four solo) and a forced fumble, said he doesn’t think too much about playing teams in Power Four conferences, but knows that “it’s an opportunity.”

“People are going to see what you did during the big game,” the Carver-Montgomery alum said. “I’m going to try and keep our guys up and remind them of that every day, because it is a big opportunity and we’ve got to perform.”