UofL Football Recap: Cards Kick Themselves Out Of Playoff Contention

Pre Game Notes:

Good evening, Card Nation. It’s Friday night under the lights at L & N Stadium. The Cards are coming in 7-2 after a heartbreaking loss to California on a 4th down conversion in overtime last Saturday. Last year, the Cards beat Clemson in Death Valley. It was the program’s first win over Clemson. 

1st Quarter:

Clev Lubin made his presence known to the Cade Klubnik early in this game, as Lubin sacked Klubnik on the second play of the game for -7 yards. Outside of Lubin’s sack, Clemson was able to get into the red zone off the strength of Klubnik’s arm. The Louisville defense however, did what they’ve done so well this season and forced the opposing team into a field goal. Clemson took a 3-0 lead with 8:38 remaining in the first quarter. Louisville’s first drive ended in a 3-and-out, thanks to a penalty on 2nd down that put the Cards behind the chains. On Louisville’s 2nd possession, they were able to find some success against the talented Tigers defense as they got into field goal range & Cooper Ranvier put Louisville on the board. The Cards and Tigers headed into the 2nd quarter tied at 3.  

2nd Quarter:

Louisville needed just three plays to get into the red zone , thanks to a 26-yard connection from Miller Moss to Chris Bell. A Miller Moss sneak for the touchdown gave Louisville their first lead of the game (9-3). Ranvier missed the extra point. Clemson had some success with the swing passes and quick receiver screens as they got a couple of first downs. They were forced to punt after Louisville’s speed on defense started to be more disruptive in the backfield. Louisville got the ball back with 5:26 remaining in the quarter with a 9-3 lead, but Duke Watson was stripped by Terrell and Clemson recovered. Clemson running back Adam Randall took 1 carry for 25 yards and gave Clemson the 10-9 lead that they took into intermission over Louisville.

Halftime Stats:

T.O.P:  13:06

Passing Yards:  98 

Rushing Yards: 69 (1 TD)

Sacks: 1

T.Os:  

3rd Quarter: 

Keyjuan Brown came out of the half like a man possessed, seeing the holes, breaking tackles, juking players to the floor, and running over grown men like he was playing in a pee-wee league. Louisville retook the lead on a trick play touchdown pass from Caullin Lacy to Nate Kurisky. Clemson cut the Louisville lead in half with their field goal on their first possession of the half. Keyjuan Brown continued to run angry and run with purpose as he moved the Louisville offense right down the field. Louisville had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Ranvier to extend their lead back to 6 (19-13). Louisville took a 19-13 lead into the final quarter with Clemson driving.

4th Quarter:

A penalty by Wesley Bailey gave Clemson a 1st-and-goal. Antonio Watts was able to force a fumble inside the 1 yard line on 3rd down, but it was recovered by Clemson. Clemson lined up to go for it on 4th down and fumbled again. This time it was recovered by the Cards on the 4 yard line. Penalties are the Achilles heel of great teams, and unfortunately Deangelo Hutchinson was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the fumble recovery. On the first offensive play, the Cards committed a holding penalty that wiped out a huge gain by Keyjuan Brown ( who was notably limping). Louisville was forced to punt after going 3-and-out, giving Clemson great field position again. Clemson drove to the goal line and eventually scored on a 1-yard run after going for it on 4th down, giving them a 20-19 lead. Coach Brohm went into his bag of tricks and dialed up a play for Caulin Lacy. Louisville got into scoring position, but a sack by Clemson forced Louisville into a 50-yard field goal, which Ranvier missed. The Cards defense forced an attempted punted by Clemson, but TJ Capers tackled the punter and gave the Cards life. A pre-snap penalty put the Cards behind the chains, and Louisville had to settle for another field goal. Since Ranvier missed the last kick, Coach Brohm went to Nick Keller. Keller missed the kick wide left. Clemson hung on to beat Louisville 20-19.

Final Stats:

Passing Yards: 214 (1 TD) by Lacy

Rushing Yards: 214 (1)

Post Game Notes: 

Keyjuan Brown had another great game, but his team couldn’t pull out the win. Brown finished with 135 yards on 15 carries. Bell led the team in receptions with 5, and yards with 79 yards. Penalties killed Louisville this game. The Cards had 6 penalties in the 4th quarter alone. Louisville also had 3 missed kicks ( 1 extra point & 2 field goals). This was yet another tough loss for the Cards. Louisville’s 3 losses this year has come by combined total of 7 points. The Cards now turn their attention to SMU next Saturday in Dallas.