Cardinals are historic underdog vs. Clemson
Louisville coach Bobby Petrino has never been in this spot. His team is 2-6 on the season and facing a 37-point spread against No. 2 Clemson this Saturday. It’s the largest spread in a game between two ACC teams since at least 2002.
“I mean they’re a good football team,” Petrino said when asked about Vegas’ line for the game.
“They’ve been a good football team since we’ve been in the conference with them. But, I don’t know anything about any lines, but I know when you put the video on and you watch them play, it’s a great challenge.”
For a Louisville team struggling to be consistent on offense and completely floundering on defense, a game at Clemson’s Death Valley seems like an impossibility.
“We play a really good football team this Saturday,” Petrino said.
“We put the video on on Clemson. They’re as good of a defense as there is out there. Defensive front, linebackers are big and physical and fast. Lot of the same guys we’ve played against for the last couple of years, so we do know them well. And then, in the secondary, they’ve got good corners and they’re safeties that can both play the run and play man coverage, so that’s always a good challenge for you.
“Then, offensively, their quarterback is doing a really nice job for them. They’ve had some games where they’ve relied on the run and their offensive line was blocking the front. Their running backs are fast. And then, last week, they came out and threw the ball. He can really zip it. He can spin the ball. He’s got a really good wrist and can get the ball down the field to his targets, so it’s a great challenge for us. We’ve just got to get back on the practice field and work to get better.”
This game two years ago was a top 10 clash with Louisville being a slight favorite just before kickoff. Louisville had future Heisman winner Lamar Jackson and Clemson was led by Deshaun Watson. Saturday’s game will feature Trevor Lawrence, Clemson’s new stud quarterback, and Louisville’s Puma Pass, who has struggled to keep his spot this season.
“He’s doing a better job of seeing defenses,” Petrino said.
“He has to understand where the pressure comes a couple plays. There’s a couple balls that look really poorly thrown, really airing-it-high balls, but a couple of those were he got pushed right into his face. So, we have to be more firm on the front, and our tackles have to not give up so much room, so he gets pushed right into his face. But, I did feel like he competed hard and did some really good things.”
Louisville will need a historic performance from Pass and likely the best defensive performance of the season to try to knock off the Tigers Saturday.