Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Clemson

Here are the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Louisville football's matchup vs. the Tigers:

Oct 25, 2024; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) warms up before a game against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On the heels of mounting an improbable comeback at Boston College, the Louisville football program is staying out on the road, and is making the journey to Death Valley for a primetime showdown with No. 1 Clemson.

Here are some of the more notable storylines heading into Saturday's game:

Injury Report

It's a mix of good and slightly bad news on the injury front for Louisville.

In the past game against Boston College, offensive tackle Monroe Mills officially made his return to action. Although, he saw the bulk of his reps at right tackle instead of left.

With running back Maurice Turner, he could be close to a return. While he was officially declared out vs. BC, it was his first mention on an injury report since he suffered his ankle injury early in the season.

As far as defensive end Tramel Logan and defensive tackle Rene Konga, both appear to be hampered by their respective injuries, as they only played a combined four snaps.

With Clemson, their main injuries to track are to receivers Tyler Brown and Bryant Wesco. While Brown - Clemson's leading receiver from 2023 - will be out another week, Dabo Swinney said that it is a possibility that Wesco - Clemson's current yards per reception leader with 11 catches for 262 yards - could be able to return to action this week.

Louisville's Comeback at Boston College a Testament to their Resiliency an Buy-In

Louisville found themselves in quite the predicament this past Friday night. In their road game at Boston College, they gave up 20 unanswered point right out of the gate, and found themselves trailing 27-10 midway through the third quarter.

But in the face of a massive uphill climb, Louisville still found a way to come out on top with a win. They scored three straight touchdowns in the final 20 minutes, escaping Chestnut Hill with a 31-27 win.

"Really proud of our football team," head coach Jeff Brohm said after the game. "Obviously, things weren't going our way early on, and it was disappointing, I'm sure, for everybody. But to withstand that, and to just continue to play to the end, and find a way to win against a good team, on the road, I couldn't be prouder. It's one of the toughest wins I think I've ever had."

Considering that Louisville had lost three of their last four games heading into the BC game, the players could have very easily mailed it in when they went down 20-0. But Brohm believes that it's a sign of just how resilient and bought in this team still is for them to battle back from such a tough deficit.

"You’ve got to be mentally tough to withstand that, and I just think our team is mentally tough," Brohm said. "I’m not going to say they can’t be broken down at some point, but they are mentally tough, they work hard, they want to win - it means something to them."

Louisville-Clemson to Feature Showcase of Two of ACC's Top Quarterbacks

While Miami's Cam Ward is certainly the top quarterback in the ACC, the upcoming showdown between Louisville and Clemson will feature arguably the top two signal callers in the conference behind Ward.

On the Clemson sideline, Cade Klubnik has taken a massive step forward for his true junior season. In seven games, he has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,836 yards and 20 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He's also been a threat with his legs at times with 227 yards and four scores on the ground.

"When it comes to (Klubnik), he’s continued to progress," Brohm said. "Like every quarterback, he’s had a couple of struggles along the way, which is good for quarterbacks, but he’s over the hump now. ... He’s playing at a high level. They’ve built the offense around him and what his strengths are, and right now it’s clicking on all cylinders."

That being said, Louisville's Tyler Shough has been playing at an elite level as well. In eight games, the Texas Tech transfer has completed 64.3 percent of his throws for 2,348 yards and 20 touchdowns to five interceptions.

"Their quarterback is a future pro and knows what the heck he’s doing," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "They’re really well-coached and I think (Shough is) an extension of the coach out on the field.”

Louisville's Defensive Staff Adapting Coaching Styles Amid Slow Start

At this point, it's no secret that Louisville's defense is not performing nearly at the level they thought they would. A year removed from putting together a team that was arguably powered by their defense, the Cardinals have struggled to contain teams since play against power conference teams began.

This past week against Boston College, the defense took a positive step in the right direction, allowing only 318 yards to the Eagles. They also got stops on their final six drives of the game, allowing the offense to mount the comeback that won them the game.

On top of bringing a tad more pressure against BC, defensive coordinator Ron English says that has also had to change his motivational style as well.

"I think that this defense, right now, is overcoming being a little bit fragile," he said. "I said to them at halftime, 'I can come in here and 'MF' everybody, and I've done that before and I can go crazy. But that's not going to help this defense. What we are going to do is, we're going to stay positive and we're going to play to the end.' We actually practiced that this week. We practiced being positive, being enthusiastic, celebrating with each other. I think that showed up on Friday night."

Additionally, it has been an ongoing process to get through Louisville's communication issues on that side of the ball. The Cardinals originally relied on using in-helmet communication, but eventually had to bring English down to the sideline from the booth when that wasn't working out. Admittedly, English also noted that he was a little bit surprised that the veterans on the team weren't grasping his complex scheme like he thought they would.

But, slowly but surely, the communication between English and the players is getting to a better spot, with the BC game serving as an example to that.

"Right now, this team is trying to improve and be the best we can be," he said. "We do have guys that are really buying into it. If you saw this last game, there were really a lot of guys talking out there."

Brohm Supportive of, Although He Doesn't Agree With, Caullin Lacy's Decision

Last week, the Louisville football program lost a major offensive weapon when Caullin Lacy decided to opt out for the remainder of the 2024 season.

While Brohm made sure to note that he is supportive of all the decisions that his players make that they believe are in their best interest, he personally didn't agree with it.

"We support all the decisions that our players make that they think is best for them," Brohm said. "I was not in agreement with the decision, it's not best for our football team. But, I understand where he's coming from, and we definitely want to do what's best for all of our players, and always will do that. I do think we're not as good a team without him, but at the same time, we're going to support him in whatever he wants us to help him."

It's understandable for Brohm to have the position he does. In Lacy's four games since his return from a collarbone injury, he has caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and is currently third on the team in receiving yards. He also has five kick returns for 191 yards, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown against Miami.

While in theory Lacy could have played his final game as a Cardinal, the two sides are open to his return in 2025, with Brohm saying "we'd love to have him back" for next season.

(Photo of Tyler Shough: Eric Canha - Imagn Images)

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