Words can’t even begin to describe the absolute self-destruction that took place at L&N Stadium this evening as the Louisville football team fell to the Clemson Tigers 20-19 in their second straight loss. It was an ugly 4th quarter, where opportunities to put the game away were plentiful, but the execution to capitalize on these opportunities was nowhere to be seen. This loss shatters any last hopes of Louisville’s chances of appearing in the ACC title game and completely obliterates any potential miracle chance of them getting into the College Football Playoff.
Following Louisville’s devastating loss last week to the California Golden Bears, many fans remained engaged and hoped to see a turnaround performance from the Cardinals tonight. Even without Isaac Brown, the running game showed up in full force with a big night from Keyjuan Brown. The defense once again did its job and continues to demonstrate why it is one of the best in the country. It was once again the passing game and now the kicking game that let the Cardinals down entirely in this game. This raises many questions about what exactly went wrong and has put the Louisville football season in a complete downward spiral.
But for now, here are five immediate observations from Louisville's loss to Clemson.
5. Offensive line shines, owns the line of scrimmage
Louisville’s run game has had quite the turnaround from the start of the season. Through the first few games, many questioned the effectiveness of the offensive line and its ability to clear the necessary gaps for the talented Cardinal running backs. After the last few games and their performance against Clemson, those questions have easily been put to bed. Keyjuan Brown had every type of gap available to him, breaking off long run after long run and being an absolute force for the offense.
The increased ability of the offensive line with its blocking has been one of the keys to Louisville’s success thus far this season. Unfortunately, their performance against Clemson did not yield the ideal results. The blame for the loss cannot be placed on this position group, as they effectively did their job and set Louisville up with multiple chances to win the game.
4. Defense has a strong showing on 3rd down conversion attempts
One of the major tales of the tape for this game came on Clemson’s 3rd down attempts. The Louisville defense held Clemson in check in this category most of the night, only allowing one conversion on 13 attempts. The defense made the plays it needed to end Clemson drives and get the ball back into the hands of the offense. It was a whole-team effort, from the elite pass rush pressuring the quarterback to the secondary showing up in these particular instances in coverage.
This is a welcome sign entering the last couple of games of the season. Louisville’s defense has been highly rated all season, and after a shaky performance last week against Cal, it was nice to see the backbone of the Louisville Cardinals show back up and perform at a high level against Clemson. The Cardinals will need more of the same, especially since it is a question week to week as to what you will get out of Miller Moss and the passing game. It’s an absolute disappointment that the offense was unable to get the job done when the defense has consistently done its job.
3. Keyjuan Brown has the talent to produce at a high level
When you don’t have the likes of star Isaac Brown, no need to fret when you have sophomore Keyjuan Brown in your backfield. Keyjuan Brown has blossomed into a star in his own right in Isaac’s absence, serving as a consistent force and the primary producer in the run game for the Louisville offense. We’ve talked all season about the incredible depth that Louisville possesses in the backfield. Keyjuan Brown, week after week, continues to show up and prove just that, putting up huge numbers and becoming a reliable fixture of this offense.
Brown finished the game with 15 rushes for 135 rushing yards. He was the bright spot of the offense all night, providing the push needed to achieve first downs and sparking the offense in tough situations. With Isaac Brown continuing to be out (with no return in sight), Brown will be asked to shoulder most of the rushing load. To this point in the season, Brown has answered the call and more. All Louisville fans hope to maintain this level of production as the season heads into its final two games.
2. Self-inflicted penalties and mistakes continually squander opportunities
Jeff Brohm’s teams always seem to struggle with penalties. It's been a constant under his watch, and has significantly impacted some major games for Louisville, tonight adding another entry to this column. Louisville as a team had 10 penalties for 84 yards, compared to Clemson’s three penalties for 30 yards. Absolutely unacceptable, and many of these penalties came after the play in the form of unsportsmanlike conduct. This is a quick and easy way to lose the game when players consistently make poor decisions.
Additionally, some key mistakes led to Louisville’s collapse as well. Duke Watson’s fumble to set up a Clemson touchdown was a huge spot after a momentum-shifting turnover on downs. Miller Moss also took a sack that backed up Ranvier for his missed field goal attempt. If he had thrown the ball away, the kick would have been more manageable and potentially successful. It’s the same story, just a different week and a slightly different way of getting to this truth. The defense does its job, but the offense fails to deliver when it comes to winning the game.
1. Kicking game botches multiple key opportunities
Most are surely still trying to process what happened with the kicking game tonight. One of the strongest pieces of this Louisville team all season has been their kicker’s ability to be consistent. It started early with the missed extra point by Ranvier after Louisville’s first touchdown. That raised initial doubt and dealt a significant blow to confidence, causing further ramifications as the game progressed.
When it appeared that Louisville had the upper hand and would go on to win the game, Ranvier once again trotted onto the field and shanked a field goal wide left. Still in the game, this wasn’t the final straw when it came to Louisville’s chances to win. They had yet another key opportunity to hit the game-winning field goal and move on from this game. However, Jeff Brohm decided he no longer had faith in Ranvier for the night and instead trotted out his other kicker, Keller, to attempt the game-winning field goal, which, of course, was missed as well. Louisville’s defense gave the offense all the opportunity in the world to win this game, and they refused to take advantage.