Lorenzo Ward met with the media for the first time as Louisville's interim head football coach on Monday, one day after he was tasked with replacing Bobby Petrino, who was fired Sunday.

Ward, who was hired as the Louisville safeties coach in 2017, said Monday he found out he was named interim head coach via a phone call from athletic director Vince Tyra on Sunday.

"I was sitting in the car talking to my wife. I get out and this gentleman came up to me and he's like, 'Are you the interim head coach?'" Ward said. "I said, 'Not to my knowledge.' I went inside and my phone was out and Vince called me and told me what was going on."

Ward said that in his more than two decades of coaching, this is the fourth time he's been on a staff that lost its head coach. He'll take over a Louisville team that is 2-8 and riding a seven-game losing streak.

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In remaining games against North Carolina State and Kentucky, Ward said he and his staff will try "to make these next two week as fun as we could possibly make them."

"It's not about Coach Ward and him being the interim head coach," he said. "When I spoke with the staff here yesterday, I told them this is not going to be about me, it's not going to be about them, it's going to be about what we're going to do for these young men for the next two weeks."

Here are a handful of takeaways from Ward's Monday Q&A with reporters:

► Ward said the team will make the following additional staff changes:

Ward will take over coaching the defensive line; cornerbacks coach Grady Brown will also coach safeties; defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder will also coach the linebackers; co-offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach Lonnie Galloway will call plays and coach quarterbacks.

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Tyra also fired three assistant coaches related to Petrino — quarterbacks coach Nick Petrino, defensive line coach L.D. Scott and linebackers coach Ryan Beard — on Sunday.

► Ward said Petrino did a "great job" during his time with Louisville. He said he texted Petrino, he responded and "that's where we are."

► Asked about the players, Ward said they are excited about change but saddened by the loss of Petrino, who recruited them.

"They're real appreciative of what he's done but they're happy about seeing some change," Ward said. "When you go through a season and you've lost seven games in a row, everybody thinks you need change."

► In response to concerns from Tyra and fans that the team has lacked effort this season, Ward said that isn't necessarily true.

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"We definitely can pick up our effort. I think overall the guys have given great effort, but I don't think they've given the maximum effort," Ward said.

► Ward said he reached out to "many" of the team's recruits and stressed that they should pick a school based on the university and the program, not the coach.

► Louisville has allowed 54 or more points its last three games and four of the last five. Ward said the defense needs to eliminate big plays. He said they aren't going to change the scheme but are going to "simplify what they're doing."

► Redshirt freshman quarterback Malik Cunningham left the Syracuse game — Petrino called it an “above-the-shoulders” injury — in the second quarter. Ward said he isn't sure if he'll be available on Saturday.

Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; jsayers@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/justins.