Louisville Cardinals vs. Clemson Tigers Complete Game Preview
The Clemson Tigers have plenty of momentum heading into this game, thanks to a 41-0 rout of North Carolina State on Saturday. Now they must turn their attention to the Louisville Cardinals, who are 5-1 on the season.
Bobby Petrino is known for his offense, but the Cardinals defense is what is catching national attention. Louisville will bring the No. 6 defense in the country—that ranking is based on points allowed per game—into Death Valley on Saturday, but it will have its hands full stopping Clemson’s offense.
In the last two games, Clemson has scored 91 points, and quarterback Deshaun Watson has thrown eight touchdowns over that span.
Louisville's Keys to the Game
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Establish the Run Game
Stopping the run game will be a key for Clemson, so it only makes sense that establishing a run game will be a key for Louisville. The Cardinals are averaging 156.5 yards per game on the ground, so this will be important for them Saturday afternoon.
Throw to DeVante Parker Down the Field
Per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com, Louisville has a good chance to get Parker back in this game, who is one of the best wide receivers in the nation. The Clemson front seven has been very good lately—holding North Carolina State to 119 rushing yards last week—so taking shots down the field will give Louisville its best shot in this game.
Take Away Clemson’s Run Game
This key doesn’t guarantee a Louisville win, but stopping the run will increase its chances. The Tigers were only able to average 2.1 yards per run against North Carolina, but that allowed Watson to take shots down the field.
If Louisville is able to take away the run and play well in the secondary on the deep ball, it would give the team a good shot at getting some stops.
Clemson's Keys to the Game
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Attack on Offense
The Louisville defense is ranked No. 6 in the nation in points allowed, but the Cardinals haven’t seen an offense like Clemson’s yet. Watson has thrown only one interception on the season and is completing 68.9 percent of his passes.
Load the Box
Louisville doesn’t have the consistency at quarterback at this point to compete against Clemson’s defense. Both Will Gardner and Reggie Bonnafon are completing just a little over 56 percent of their passes this season. Knowing this, the Tigers will need to load the box and take away the running game. Louisville had 178 rushing yards in its last game against Syracuse.
The Tigers will need to load the box against the run game and make Louisville’s quarterbacks attempt to beat them down the field.
Pressure the Quarterback
The Tigers held North Carolina State quarterback Jacoby Brissett to 35 passing yards and only allowed him to run for 14 yards, with sacks factored in.
One of the keys to a victory on Saturday will be continuing to get pressure on the quarterback.
Louisville Players to Watch
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DeVante Parker
Parker could take the field against Clemson for the first time this season, so this one is obvious. The Cardinals will try to utilize him as much as possible and could take shots down the field to him. He is one of the most dangerous weapons in the nation, as he caught 12 touchdowns passes in 2013.
Reggie Bonnafon/Will Gardner
Gardner hasn’t played in the last two games, so it’s unclear if he will play this Saturday against Clemson. If he doesn’t get the start, the pressure will be on Bonnafon.
Bonnafon, a freshman, has thrown for 380 yards in the last two games combined, but he only has one touchdown in those two contests. The Tigers will likely try to get pressure on the quarterback, so either one of these players becomes very important for Louisville.
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Clemson Players to Watch
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Deshaun Watson
You will probably find Watson on the players-to-watch list for the rest of the games this season, just because of what he brings to the table. He gives the Tigers an exciting element in their offense and is capable of changing the game in just one play. We haven’t seen a bad game from No. 4 yet this season, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep the good times rolling for Clemson.
Mackensie Alexander
If Parker is able to play in this game, Alexander will have a big test. He didn’t necessarily play badly against Florida State’s Rashad Greene, but he did allow the long pass that turned out to be a huge play. Louisville will likely attempt to take shots down the field, so Alexander will need to play well against the deep ball.
Ryan Norton
We will go a little outside the box here, but Norton will be an important player on Saturday. Per David Hood of TigerNet.com, starting center Jay Guillermo won’t be able to go for another month, so Norton will get the start against Louisville.
What They're Saying
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Louisville
Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino on the quarterback situation
Per Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal, Petrino said:
"We have two of them available to play. I think I might've made a mistake the other night when I said Will (Gardner) was available to play. He was available in an emergency capacity, kind of what I said going into the game. It'll be interesting to see how he comes out and practices this week and what improvement did he make.
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Petrino, comparing the crowd last week versus Syracuse and what he expects in Death Valley
Per Greer, Petrino said, “It's something you look forward to and enjoy. It's gonna be very similar to last week. That was a loud place. I don't know if it can get any louder, even though the crowd wasn't that big.”
Clemson
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney on Louisville's defense
Per Hood of TigerNet.com, Swinney stated, “This is a defense that is as good as any in the country.”
Swinney, on the win versus N.C. State
Per Hood, Swinney said, “Just so many good things. Guys were ready to go from the opening snap. Deshaun Watson—it sure is fun to watch him develop and grow his confidence.”
Predicted Outcome
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Louisville will be a team on the rise, but Clemson is playing too good right now to lose this game. I predicted last week that Clemson would beat N.C. State 44-21—and although some disagreed in the comments section—the Tigers were able to win in every aspect of that game.
I expect the same kind of domination this week from the Tigers. Clemson has everything going for it right now, and it’s worth noting that this game is in Death Valley.
The Tigers have momentum on both sides of the ball, and Louisville is still searching for an identity on offense. The Cardinals have played well defensively, but they haven’t seen a quarterback as talented as Watson this season.
Louisville lost 23-21 to Virginia earlier this season on the road, but the crowd at Death Valley will present its biggest road test of the season.
Clemson 37, Louisville 20
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