A look around Conference USA

Originally Published: September 29, 2004

By Adam Rittenberg | Special to ESPN.com

Louisville's defenders entered spring practice with a new coordinator and plenty of old baggage.

LB Brandon Johnson and his teammates were well-versed in the theory of why Louisville, a team that led Conference USA in scoring and total offense, finished tied for third in league play last season.

"We had a great offense last year, but no defense," Johnson said, matter-of-factly. "We just got tired of people talking about us, how sorry we were, how the offense was going to have to carry us. It just kind of got on my nerves. In spring ball I just made up my mind to go do something about it."

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