Final Thoughts and Observations on Louisville vs. Clemson

The Cardinals dominated the Tigers for their first ever win in the all-time series.

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Isaac Brown (25) runs the ball against Clemson Tigers cornerback Jeadyn Lukus (10) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images / Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It might have taken ten years and nine tries, by the Louisville football program has finally hit the win column against Clemson, putting together a dominating 33-21 performance in Death Valley this past Saturday night.

Before we close the book on the game and transition to the bye week, I wanted to provide some closing thoughts and observations from the game against the Tigers:

• First of all, what an incredible and momentous win for Louisville. I know in the preseason I was very vocal in my stance that they were going to beat Clemson in Death Valley, but because of how the season had played out heading into this game (for both teams), I didn't think there was a chance at a win. I thought that there was a very real shot of a back door cover, but as far as an actual win goes, I thought that ship had sailed. Louisville not only beat Clemson in Death Valley, the Cardinals kicked the Tigers' teeth in. The final score and stats might not suggest that, but anyone who watched that game - on either side of the fence - knows that Louisville was the far superior team both on the gridiron and on the sideline. This was the kind of game that reinforces the notion that Jeff Brohm is the man for the job, and shows that the Cardinals' midseason hiccups (which in hindsight now don't look all that bad) were an outlier and not something indicative of a larger problem brewing under the surface.
• Before I go any further, I want to say this: if you've never been to Death Valley, you need to go - especially if it's at night. I had never been before, and as a college football fan in general, it was on my bucket list. The energy and atmosphere in the pregame and first quarter lived up to its billing, that's for sure.
• It's really hard to out-coach someone who has won multiple national championships, but Jeff Brohm, Ron English and Co. coached absolute circled around Dabo Swinney and the Clemson staff. Ever since the Miami game, the offensive play calling and tendencies have gotten much, much better, and "big game Brohm" was in his bag on Saturday night. There were multiple successful plays that you can heavily attribute to scheme vs. execution (even though the latter was great, too), and the offensive staff kept Clemson's defense on their heels all night long. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, English and Co. continued to lean into a pressure-heavy mindset, and it worked. Like with the offense, the defensive execution certainly made the play calling a lot more efficient, but there were very few instances where you could say Clemson QB Cade Klubnik was comfortable. While they didn't send the house every play, they certainly have sent pressure a lot more often than they did during the month of October, and it's paying off massive dividends.
• Now onto the players, and speaking of the defense, I'm going to talk about them first. The pressure up front certainly played a big factor in throwing a wrench into Clemson's prolific offense, but arguably the biggest reason why the defense had as much success as they did was because Louisville played their best game in pass coverage all season long. The defensive backs (and even the linebackers) played incredibly disciplined zone defense for the most part, and the cornerbacks played phenomenally in man coverage. Sure, Clemson's wide receivers aren't what they have been in the past, but this was still an incredibly talented bunch that had been lighting up the ACC, and Louisville kept them in check. Tayon Holloway, D'Angelo Hutchinson, Quincy Riley and Corey Thornton all had great evenings in pass coverage, with the first two making several noteworthy plays. Even the linebacking corps, which has not been great pass coverage this season, did very well. T.J. Quinn and Antonio Watts kept the middle of the field in check against one of the better tight ends in the ACC in Jake Briningstool, as well as against various wideouts across the middle. Watts also made one of the top plays of the game when he batted down a pass at the LOS in the first quarter. He also should have had a pick in this game that could have gone for a touchdown, but as the saying goes: that's why he plays defense.
• Additionally, the pressure brought brought by Louisville's defensive line and front seven was incredibly disruptive and efficient. The Cardinals got pass rush wins with regularity, and they played very sound gap technique against the run - as well as looked much more physical than they had in some other games this season. You might think that they struggled by seeing that Phil Mafah ran for 171 yards on them, but 121 of those yards came on eight carries - meaning that on the other 22 runs, Mafah ran for just 50 yards (2.3 YPC). In fact, Clemson was just 1-for-12 converting on rushing plays with two or fewer yards for a first down or a touchdown. Considering that Mafah is one of the most bruising backs in the ACC, and the talent Clemson has up front, that's an incredible stat. Quinn and Stanquan Clark did great jobs on containing the run while guys on the defensive line ate up blocks/double teams (or made plays themselves). Thor Griffith, Jordan Guerad and Dezmond Tell deserve a ton of credit for the latter.
• Before I get into the offensive players, I'm actually going to give a shout out to Louisville's special teams. This unit has certainly been a roller coaster at times this season, but they played a massive role in the win. Blocking a field goal is hard enough, but doing it twice is incredibly difficult. Great execution by Quinn and Hutchinson on their respective blocks. Plus, credit to Brock Travelstead for bouncing back from his early missed field goal to rebound and kick four of them - including three for 40-plus yards out. Not to mention that Ja'Corey Brooks should have had a punt return for a touchdown if it wasn't wiped due to a penalty.
• Alright, now onto the offensive players. Without a doubt, the unit on this side of the ball that deserves the most credit is the offensive line. This unit has been injured to hell and back, a couple players are playing out of position, not to mention the play of the line has been inconsistent at times this season. Then you have the task of facing Clemson's defensive line - an area that the Tigers have historically excelled in under Dabo Swinney. Not only did Louisville's offensive line hold their own, they enforced their will at times against the Tigers. They gave Tyler Shough a clean pocket for the majority of the night, bulldozed open some great rushing lanes from Isaac Brown and Co., and also had several impactful downfield blocks (Chris Bell's reverse end around comes to mind). Plus the decision by Brohm and Richard Owens to mix in entire line cut blocks from time to time was a great move to stymie Clemson's line. Pete Nygra, Trevonte Sylvester, Monroe Mills, Michael Gonzalez, Renato Brown and Austin Collins all deserve their flowers.
• The legend of Isaac Brown continues to grow. Clemson has never been an easy opponent to run against, but he made them seem like child's play. Even if you take out his 45-yard touchdown, he still averaged 5.6 yards per carry on the night. He's not only surpassed Michael Bush for the most 100-yard rushing games by a Louisville true freshman, Lamar Jackson's true freshman rushing record at Louisville is in serious jeopardy. If you're in the same company as Bush and Jackson, you're doing something right. With how blazing fast he is, sometimes it's hard to forget that he's a true freshman. He's a bona fide superstar in the making, and 502 Circle better open up the checkbook in the offseason to make sure he stays a Cardinal.
• As far as the passing game goes, Louisville did just enough to keep the offense on schedule and keep Clemson's defense on their heels. Tyler Shough might not have made a ton of winning plays with his arm like we've seen this season, but he did a good job of putting the ball where only his guy could make a play on it (which is more than you could say for Klubnik). That being said, he continued to navigate the pocket like you expect a veteran quarterback to do, and he certainly broke out the wheels at some very good times - which seemed to catch Clemson off guard when he did. Additionally, while the receivers might not have made extraordinary and game-changing catches, Brooks and Bell did have a few "grown man catches" in super physical coverage to move the sticks. Considering how stacked Clemson's defense is in the secondary, that's about all you can ask them to do. Speaking of Bell, hand up - I had no idea he was *that* fast when he flipped the field on the reverse end around. That was a great call by Brohm and he had great downfield blocking, but Bell also deserves credit for that play going as far as it did.
• Before wrapping up, thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Benjamin Perry. That was an incredibly scary scene to not only see him down for as long as he was, but to leave the field with a neck brace and have to go to a hospital. Thank god it doesn't appear to be more serious than it looked, as he has already been discharged from the hospital and was actually able to fly home with the team Sunday morning.
• I'll close with this thought: Not too long ago, this team seemed to be trending in a bad direction. Not only had they dropped three games in a four game span, they found themselves way behind the eight ball against Boston College just last week. Not only do those midseason hiccups not look nearly as bad as we thought (all three losses are to teams currently ranked in the top-15, two are in the top-10), but Louisville has seemingly refound their footing and taken off. This game/performance is why you hired Jeff Brohm in the first place, and looking at the remaining regular season schedule, running the table doesn't seem out of the question. This game has potential to be the catalyst for a great run to end the regular season and into Louisville's bowl game/offseason.

(Photo of Isaac Brown: Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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