Jeff Brohm’s Cards top Clemson for first time

November 3, 2024 Vaseline blog 0

Jeff Brohm’s Cards top Clemson for first time

CLEMSON, SC — In the valley (of the shadow) of death, Louisville football feared no evil. Or eighth-ranked Clemson.

The Cardinals weren’t short of confidence, and it showed. For the first time in program history, Louisville defeated Clemson, 33-21, on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium — also known as Death Valley.

It’s the third straight year that Louisville has beaten a top-10 opponent after wins over No. 10 Wake Forest in 2022 and No. 10 Notre Dame in 2023. Both of those games were at L&N Stadium.

U of L (6-3, 4-2 ACC) accomplished something no other Cards team has done, though they’ve come close. A Lamar Jackson-led squad fell short in Death Valley in a thriller in 2016. And had Malik Cunningham not got injured at home in 2021, those Cardinals might have had the first.

But a Louisville team with a renewed confidence got the job done on the road, adding another historic moment to Jeff Brohm’s tenure. The bowl-eligible Cardinals hurt Clemson’s chances of making the ACC championship game with the loss. Only SMU and Miami remain unbeaten in conference play.

After being shut out in the second and third quarters, Clemson attempted a comeback by scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. After both touchdowns – scored by running back Phil Mafah – Louisville recovered each onside kick to prevent Clemson’s comeback bid.

Earlier in the week, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said Louisville’s offense was the best his team had faced since Georgia. The two teams had a win over Clemson (6-2, 5-1) in common by the time the night was over.

Indeed, Louisville’s offense featured Isaac Brown’s fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. According to Louisville statistician Kelly Dickey, the only other true freshman to log multiple 100-yard rushing performances was Michael Bush in 2003. He only had two.

Brown eclipsed 100 yards at the beginning of the second half and finished with a career-high 151 yards. That included a 45-yard touchdown to put Louisville up, 33-14, late in the fourth quarter.

But for as talented and versatile as Louisville’s offense was, special teams made the difference. Kicker Brock Travelstead made four field goals to pace the Cardinals’ scoring.

Travelstead started with a miss from 40 yards. He then made four straight field goals, which included a third-quarter mulligan. His 40-yard field goal at the 6:47 mark of the frame put U of L up, 23-7.

TJ Quinn and D’Angelo Hutchinson each had a blocked field goal.

The Cardinals’ defense also played a part in that. After notably struggling throughout the year, he put together one of his best showings against a Clemson offense that ranked fifth nationally heading into Week 10. Linebacker Stanquan Clark led the team with a career-high 12 tackles.

The group did it without Ben Perry, who was injured with 1:47 to go in the first quarter. The linebacker/safety fell to the ground and was down for several minutes before being assisted to the sideline wearing a neck brace. He was later taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

Louisville’s secondary was key in limiting the Tigers’ big plays, helping to keep Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik to 5.2 yards per completion. The Cardinals totaled nine pass breakups, with cornerback Tayon Holloway and Hutchinson each totaling two. Midway through the fourth quarter, fellow cornerback Quincy Riley added his own, denying Clemson wide receiver Troy Stellato of a potential touchdown catch.

As the Clemson crowd began to disperse late in the fourth quarter, a small contingent of Louisville fans tucked in the corner of the south end zone stayed to watch the Cardinals celebrate in Death Valley.

Louisville will go into its bye with its head held high knowing that history was made in South Carolina.

This story will be updated.

Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.