One Last Rewind: Louisville

A slow start on offense didn’t stop Clemson from cruising to a 45-10 win over Louisville behind Travis Etienne’s 192 yards and a perfect second quarter from Trevor Lawrence. The Tiger defense continues to be dominant and they will now turn their attention to the downhill running style that Boston College brings into Death Valley.

Few options 

Louisville came into last weekend’s game after scoring 62 points in a win over Wake Forest. The Cards put up 520 yards and moved the ball at will.

But Saturday, there were few options as Louisville’s offense only put up 263 yards, finding the end zone once in the fourth quarter. 

Clemson’s defensive front harassed Louisville, not allowing them to get into their zone-read run game that had been effective against the Demon Deacons. That was just part of an impressive day from Venables’ group.

Nyles Pinckney recovered a fumble forced by Tyler Davis, who is continuing to turn heads during his freshman campaign.

Louisville quarterback Eric Conley got drilled by Justin Foster. A.J. Terrell picked off Conley. By then, the game was in the fourth quarter and well in hand. Despite the offense’s sleepy start in the first half, the defense continues to thrive in adverse situations.

Sleepwalking in the first half, but strong finish in the second half 

Trevor Lawrence didn’t have the best start as two deep balls were intercepted. This whole week, Lawrence has taken heat from the media about the poor decisions, but listening to him it’s fair to expect a cleaner game tomorrow against Boston College.

At Louisville, it just appeared that Lawrence was trying too hard to make the big play instead of spreading the ball around and looking for his check-down options.

Give him credit though, because the sophomore quarterback responded and his second quarter was a thing of beauty. Anytime we get to watch him lead the offense on a two-minute drill, it’s exciting. That drive ended with an acrobatic catch from Justyn Ross in the back of the end zone on what was a questionable throw, but sometimes you have to believe in your playmakers and it worked out giving Clemson a 17-3 lead at the break.

We said in our Keys to Victory that Clemson needed to get Etienne the ball and the junior running back took advantage of his opportunities. Etienne finished with 192 yards on 14 carries, averaging 13.1 yards per carry. That’s not a misprint. When you can run the football for almost 300 yards, led by a veteran offensive line, you’re going to be tough to beat.

Etienne’s long 49-yard touchdown run squashed any chance of a Louisville rally. The rest was academic. Chez Mellusi, Darien Rencher and Mikey Dukes all saw action.

Looking Ahead

We know it may sound like a broken record, but if Clemson continues to feed Etienne, they’re going to be tough to beat. Lawrence doesn't have to make every play an 80-yard touchdown, because that’s not going to happen all the time.

But, Clemson’s defense is playing at an elite level right now. They continue to answer the bell when the offense has struggled.

We’re all waiting for that late season surge, and it hasn’t happened yet. Could it happen tomorrow against Boston College? Who knows. But when, and if it does, it’s going to be fun to watch.