Inside the Lines: Louisville football vs. Clemson preview

Louisville football looks to bounce back following a disappointing loss to Cal. Can they knock off Clemson two years in a row?

Written by:

Vince Lococo

Well, here we are. What we saw on the field last Saturday was some of the most disappointing football of the Brohm era for Louisville football. Everything you could ever want right there in the palm of your hands, only to fall short to a team you are much better than.

That’s the beauty of football though. Any given Saturday, if you don’t bring your A game, you can get beat! Let’s turn the page as the Cards have a quick turn around against the Clemson Tigers on Friday night.

Full recap of Louisville vs. California on From The Pink Seats Podcast

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What to expect from Clemson

Stating the obvious, Clemson is led by long time head coach Dabo Swinney. Dabo was on a roll while I was in school, winning multiple ACC Championships and National Championships. When the NIL era went into effect though, it seemed as if Clemson was stuck in their old ways of recruiting and developing. At this point, that method has come back to bite Dabo in the butt. Swinney has found himself in an interesting spot and one he has not been in during his career. That spot is actively coaching to retain your job.

Under center for the Tigers is 4 year starter, Cade Klubnik. Klubnik is a guy who has gone into every season with an extreme amount of hype. Even as a freshman during ACC Media Day Klubnik was getting a lot of love. Now a senior, he’s made it very clear that this team will not lay down despite the underwhelming season they are having.

The kid still throws a really good football and is not bad at maneuvering in the pocket. The area to watch is Klubnik with his legs. He will beat you with his legs given open space. Against Florida State, when Klubnik saw green grass right in front of him he took it for a Tigers touchdown.

Clemson’s Offense

On the ground, leading rusher for Clemson is Adam Randall. Randall is a senior who has 570 yards on the season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. I believe Randall is a very good running back who hasn’t put up crazy numbers due to poor offensive line play. Another thing that could be hurting the numbers is the fact that Clemson is being forced to throw the ball since they have to play from behind so much. Regardless, this kid is a stud who could have a big day if we don’t continue to stuff the run.

Klubnik does a great job of spreading the ball around to his wide receivers. The big 3 for this offense at wide receiver is Antonio Williams, TJ Moore, and Bryant Wesco Jr. All three of these guys have over 30 catches on the season, but Moore and Wesco seem to be the big yards guys totaling over 500 each.

I love the way that they just run the offense and let the plays come to them. It’s the best way to share the love at a position where it can be very ME centric.

Clemson’s defense

Moving to the defense. Clemson’s leading tackler and leader on this defense in general is linebacker Sammy Brown. Brown plays a very similar game to his linebacker coach, Ben Boulware. Brown will command the defense and make sure guys are lined up in the right spots. Not only is he a phenomenal leader, he is a hard hitter as well. Be on the lookout for this kid to be all over the football Friday night.

Combining these two because truthfully they compliment each other very well. Will Heldt is a junior defensive end who has 5 sacks on the season. Ricardo Jones is a sophomore DB who has 4 INTs on the season. I combined these two because this will be the biggest matchup for Miller Moss on Friday. Being able to identify where their best pass rusher is and being able to identify where their best DB is. Don’t be surprised when you see Heldt pin his ears back and get after Moss. And don’t be surprised when you see Jones disguise a coverage pre-snap to confuse Miller into throwing a dumb INT. Not fun.

Final verdict

For me, you can throw records out the window when playing this team. Clemson is still Clemson. There is talent all over this football field and it’s only a matter of time before stuff starts to click for them as an offense. Their defense is exactly the same as the offense. Talent at almost every position, and for whatever reason it just hasn’t clicked YET.

This is a huge game for Jeff, Miller, and the rest of the offense. The defense did enough for you to win the football games vs Virginia AND California.

Just like any keys to victory this season, our success is fully dependent on the decision making of our quarterback. With that said, will there be a change this weeK? I’m not sure. I lean more towards no but would not be surprised if we see a change mid game if stuff isn’t going our way.

Regardless, hope to see everyone out for the black out! Thanks for the read and GO Cards!