Our Cardinals made their very first trip into “Death Valley” today and despite a valiant effort by the defense the Cards fell short in a heart breaker to Clemson 23-17. The game today shuffled things a bit in the Atlantic Division of the ACC. The Cardinals had been in second place and now change spots with the Tigers dropping to third place. The Cardinals are now 5-2 and 3-2 in the ACC. Coach Petrino’s record is now 46-11 at Louisville.
After making it to the halfway point in the season it is pretty obvious that this Louisville team is one that is going to have to grind out ball games in order for them to come out on the winning side of things. A team having that kind of Modus operandi almost has to be perfect in execution and not have any mental mistakes especially on the road, at a place like Clemson. The Cardinals lack of execution cost them 7 points right off the start at the 13:58 mark when Clemson ran back a punt 72 yards for a touchdown. This one was big considering they only won by 6.
The offensive line did a better job for most of the first half but then started making the same mental mistakes that has plagued them for most of the season. In the first half they had 2 false starts for 10 yards, and a delay of game for 5 yards. In the second half and during some key moments they had 1 delay of game for 5 yards and 5 false starts for 25 yards. Four of those false starts came during a possession where the defense had just got an interception and the offense got to start at their own 48 yard line. A field goal would have tied it at this point.
The offense as a whole continued to struggle today. They could only muster one first down on 17 attempts. And coming into this game having a 90% success rate on fourth down attempts they were 0-2 today. Even the running game that had been this team’s saving grace was held to just 52 yards. The passing game yielded 212 yards with most of that coming on one 73 yard play.
There were really no standout performances today on the offensive side of the ball, but Will Gardner deserves some credit for coming in the game when he did and leading the Cardinals down the field for their first touchdown. He really showed a lot of composure and maturity. He threw for 150 yards and 1 touchdown in two quarters. Reggie showed that he isn’t ready to be a starting quarterback at this level yet. He threw for 62 yards before being pulled in the second half. Bright future ahead but this isn’t his time IMO.
The running game was pretty much stopped cold in this one and Brandon Radcliff who has been on a tear was held to just 23 yards on 11 attempts. Dom Brown had 47 yards on 17 attempts with a touchdown.
James Quick had the only significant yardage in the passing game with most of his 101 yards coming on one play.
Last but certainly not least I’m left talking about how great this defense is again this week. My goodness folks these guys are really a great unit and this might end up being the best defensive team in the history of our program. This Clemson team was ranked 26th in the nation in total offense and #1 in the ACC coming into the game today. They had scored 91 points on offense in the last 2 weeks before today; they scored 9 points today on three field goals. And I know we knocked their big time QB out, but they limited him to just 7 yards in the first quarter.
I’ve said it a hundred times this season and I’ll say it again these guys on the defensive unit just get it. Defense is all about attitude and these guys go all in every week. They play like their hair is on fire. It’s a joy to watch a group of guys play with such passion and desire. The guys that stood out today in another stellar performance was James Sample who had 14 tackles and James Burgess who had 11 tackles with 1 interception. Kudos around the board though… It’s a shame these guys weren’t rewarded with a win.
They lose as a team and win as a team. This Louisville football team must come together and continue to work hard to overcome some of the issues that are making them struggle every weekend. Greatness is contagious and right now some of that from the defensive side needs to rub off on the offense. And the Coaches, especially on the offensive side of the ball need to make the appropriate adjustments that give their guys the best chance at success. I think a big part of the offensive struggles is these guys not fully understanding the offense or how it works.
It wasn’t a very good day for Louisville and their fans. This one hurt pretty bad. Most disappointing loss in a long time. But I do have faith and do believe that we got some big wins left in us this season. Our players and coaches are too talented to not turn today into a learning moment. Just keep in mind that this team is 1 muffed punt, 1 fumble in the end zone, and 1 KO return from being 7-0. 3 plays from perfection. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. Go Cards!