Come Sunday in Jacksonville, Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will see a familiar face standing on the opposite sideline. And if not for this certain someone, Bridgewater likely wouldn’t be where he is today.

That person is Charlie Strong.

Strong, now the Jaguars’ inside linebackers coach, was Bridgewater’s head coach at Louisville and one of his closest mentors and friends. The two have a great deal of respect for each other, understanding that if not for each other, they likely wouldn’t have the careers they have today.

That doesn’t mean they’re going to take it easy on each other on Sunday.

“There won’t be any trash talk, but we’ll have our conversations,” Strong told The Gazette prior to the season. “I don’t think you have an advantage because we’re at different points in our careers. He’s got some different guys around him and we know we’re going to have to play well. With him being named the starter, it’s all about us now putting the plan together where we can try to stop him.”

But before both got their starts in the NFL, Strong and Bridgewater were quite the duo at Louisville. Strong was the head coach from 2010-13 before being hired at Texas. Bridgewater was the starting quarterback from 2011-13 before being taken 32nd overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Those who were around the school at that time, credit Strong and Bridgewater for turning the football program around.

“If it weren’t for Charlie Strong and Teddy Bridgewater, I’m not sure where the Louisville football program goes,” said Will Stein, who played quarterback at Louisville from 2009-12. “They changed the culture.”

Under Strong’s leadership, Louisville made four straight bowl appearances for the first time since Bobby Petrino was there in 2003-06, and won three of those, including the Sugar Bowl versus Florida in 2012 and the Russell Athletic Bowl versus Miami in 2013. They also won the Big East Championship in 2012 and posted a 12-1 record in 2013, finishing second in the American Conference.

A large reason for that success was Bridgewater, who threw for 9,817 yards and 72 touchdowns in his Louisville career, which are both third all-time in school history.

“At that time, Teddy was the most highly-recruited player that we had at Louisville,” Strong said. “And he didn’t let anyone down just by the way he carried himself and his leadership ability, just how he went about his work each and every day. His whole attitude was different. And I think that’s a big reason why we had the success that we had there. He wanted nothing given to him.”

The two made plenty of memories at Louisville, most notably two games in 2012.

The first being against Rutgers to win the Big East title, in which Bridgewater played with an injured wrist and leg, but still threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns to win the game, 20-17.

“The left arm had a cast on it and his leg — he could barely move,” Strong said. “We’re down 14-0 and he comes to me and he says, ‘Hey coach, they’re not respecting me at all.’ And then he threw two touchdowns and we won.”

And the second being the game after, in which Louisville upset Florida in the Sugar Bowl, 33-23, behind 266 passing yards and two touchdowns from Bridgewater. But what most remember from that game, including Strong, is Bridgewater taking a nasty hit early in the first quarter from Florida linebacker Jon Bostic.

“The helmet is in one spot, Teddy’s in another,” Strong said. “I grabbed his helmet and brought it back to him and he say, ‘Hey coach, I’m going to give it to these boys.’ And he drops back and throws a bullet on a dig route to one of our receivers. And I said, wow, my man is back. We went on and just pounced ’em. He played unbelievable that night.”

The list of moments Strong and Bridgewater had together is long, and it will only grow this weekend.

Each have had different career paths since their Louisville days. Strong has jumped from place to place, going to Texas, South Florida and Alabama before joining Urban Meyer’s staff in Jacksonville this offseason. Bridgewater has also had quite the journey, going from the Vikings, Saints, Panthers and now Broncos.

Along the way, though, both have been each other’s biggest supporters. And while Bridgewater’s NFL career has been a rollercoaster of emotions, with several injuries and trades, Strong has always been in his corner.

“You want good things to happen to good people and Teddy is a great person,” Strong said. “If you watch this journey from Miami-Northwestern High School to Louisville to Minnesota… The thing he’s never done is he’s never made an excuse, whether it’s good or bad, there’s never an excuse. He knows that. He understands that.”

So on Sunday, while 160 feet will divide them sideline to sideline, Strong and Bridgewater couldn’t be happier for where each one stands in their career and life.

“It’s going to be great,” Strong said. “You always want players you coached to have a ton of success and then when you do get a chance to coach against them, it’s really fun because there he is across the field on the other sideline. I can’t wait.”