Maybe it’s because our Clemson Tigers football team won, but I thoroughly enjoyed last weekend’s win against Florida State. Wins against Florida State have become common over the past 10+ years, but that was not always the case, especially when I was in school all those years ago. So I’ve come to cherish every victory against those guys.
It’s no secret that the Tigers needed that victory. The two bell cows of the ACC having out-of-character seasons, but selfishly, I think Clemson needed it and wanted it more. And they got it.
It also seemed to light a fire under the team and staff this week, in the lead up to the ACC Friday Night tilt against a very good Louisville Cardinals team. A loss last week, and our Tigers are likely tucking their tails and taking a beating up there on the Bourbon Trail.
But there is a little hitch in the giddy-up around Clemson this week, and here’s to hoping the team shows up, plays hard, and comes back home with successive wins.
Here is a look at everything you will need to know about the Tiger’s Week 12 Opponent, the Louisville Cardinals:
Louisville Cardinals
School Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Game Location: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
Time: Friday 7:30PM; ESPN
2025 Record – 7-2; (4-2 ACC)
Wins Against: Eastern Kentucky, James Madison, Bowling Green, Pitt, Miami, Boston College, Virginia Tech
Losses against: Virginia, Cal
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm – 3rd Season
Coach Jeff Brohm coaches like a guy who keeps a Red Bull in one hand and a play sheet in the other. In true Brohm fashion, Louisville mixes aggressive, QB-friendly offense with disciplined, stingy defense, and somehow makes it look easy. He loves motion, misdirection, and chunk plays, the kind that make defensive coordinators question their life choices. And defensively? His teams hit like they’re mad someone doubted them. It’s fast, fearless, and fully Coach Brohm’s personality.
Offense
Offensive Coordinator: Brian Brohm – 3rd year as OC – Previous: Purdue Co-OC
Coach Brian Brohm runs Louisville’s offense like a former star quarterback who still sees the field better than everyone else because he does. His play calling blends smooth efficiency with sneaky aggression, using motion, layered routes, and perfectly timed shot plays that leave defenders flat footed. He builds early rhythm for his quarterback, keeps the run game honest, and then picks his moments to drop the big play on you. It is smart, sharp, creative, and very much Brohm family football.
Louisville has averaged 32.9 points their first nine games of the season (T-35th; Clemson is 68th; 27.9 ppg) with 154.9 yards rushing per game (70th; Clemson is 112th; 120.9 yds/game) and 246.6 yards through the air (48th; Clemson: 14th; 288.4 yds/game) for a total of 401.5 yards of offense per game through nine games (58th; Clemson: 51st; 409.3 yds/game)
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Louisville Cardinals from their released depth chart as well as their 2025 statistics through their nine games:
| Quarterback | Miller Moss (USC) | RS Senior | #7 | 39 attempts, -73 yds, 7 TDs | 197-309; 63.75%; 2132 yds, 11 TD, 7 Ints |
| Running Back | Isaac Brown | Sophomore | #1 | 91 att. 782 yds, 5 TDs | 11 catches, 42 yds |
| Wide Receiver | Chris Bell | Senior | #0 | 62 catches, 792 yds, 6 TDs | |
| Wide Receiver | Caullin Lacy (South Alabama) | RS Senior | #5 | 10 att. 19 yds | 48 catches, 482 yds, 2 TDs |
| Wide Receiver | Treyshun Hurry (San Jose St/Weber St) | RS Junior | #2 | 9 catches, 61 yds | |
| Tight End | Nate Kurisky | RS Junior | #85 | 16 catches, 139 yds, TD | |
| Left Tackle | Trevonte Sylvester (Houston) | RS Senior | #70 | ||
| Left Guard | Lance Robinson (Houston/MTSU) | RS Senior | #53 | ||
| Center | Pete Nygra (Northern Illinois) | RS Senior | #50 | ||
| Right Guard | Mahamane Moussa (Purdue) | RS Senior | #71 | ||
| Right Tackle | Rasheed Miller (Georgia Southern) | RS Senior | #60 |
Defense
Defensive Coordinators: Ron English/Mark Hagen – 3rd Seasons – Previous: Purdue Co-DCs
Coaches Mark Hagen and Ron English run Louisville’s defense like two veteran chess players who already know your next move and are happy to make you prove them wrong. Their style mixes physical front seven play with smart coverage on the back end, creating a defense that squeezes space and forces quarterbacks into rushed decisions. They love pressure, disguise, and disciplined tackling. The result is a unit that plays fast, hits hard, and rarely gives you anything easy.
The Louisville defense has given up 21.7 points through their nine games (41st; Clemson: 54th; 22.4 pts/game). They have given up an average of 108.7 yards on the ground (22nd; Clemson: 19th; 106.2 yds/game) and 188.1 yards through the air (27th; Clemson: 107th; 245.1 yds/game). The Cardinals are giving up a total of 296.8 yards thus far (14th; Clemson: 54th; 351.3 yds/game).
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Cards on defense along with stats from the their first nine games:
| Defensive End | Clev Lubin (Coastal Carolina/Army) | RS Junior | #50 | 44 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, FF |
| Nose Tackle | Jordan Guerad (Florida International) | RS Senior | #99 | 21 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, Int |
| Defensive Tackle | Rene Konga (Rutgers) | RS Senior | #90 | 24 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks |
| Defensive End | Wes Bailey (Rutgers) | RS Senior | #23 | 34 tackles, 6 TFLs, 5 sacks |
| Strongside Linebacker | Antonio Watts | RS Junior | #9 | 35 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 3 Ints, FF, FR |
| Middle Linebacker | Kalib Perry (Tennessee) | Senior | #12 | 40 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, Int |
| Weakside Linebacker | TJ Quinn | RS Senior | #34 | 67 tackles, 4 TFLs, sack, 2 Ints |
| Cornerback | Jabari Mack (Jacksonville State) | Senior | #4 | 23 tackles, 2 Ints |
| Strong Safety | D’Angelo Hutchinson | Senior | #21 | 56 tackles, 2 TFLs, Int |
| Free Safety | JoJo Evans, Jr. (FIU/Kent St/Marshall) | RS Senior | #27 | 45 tackles, 0.5 TFL, Int |
| Free Safety | Corey Gordon (Baylor) | RS Junior | #24 | 27 tackles, TFL |
| Cornerback | Tayon Holloway (North Carolina) | RS Junior | #25 | 30 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 0.5 sack |
Special Teams
Here is a list of the specialists for the Cardinals along with statistics from the 2025 Season:
| Kicker | Cooper Ranvier | RS Freshman | #36 | 15-17; long of 50 yds |
| Punter | Carter Schwartz | RS Sophomore | #39 | 40.2 yd avg.; long of 60 yds |
| Punt Returner | Caullin Lacy (South Alabama) | RS Senior | #5 | 23.4 yd avg; 2 TDs, long of 93 yds |
| Kick Returner | Caullin Lacy (South Alabama) | RS Senior | #5 | 21.2 yd avg; long of 40 yds |
Turnovers
Louisville is Plus-2 (+2) in turnover margin so far, having lost 6 fumbles and having thrown 8 interceptions. They have forced 4 opponent fumbles so far while intercepting 12 opponent passes. Louisville has 14 turnovers to their opponents 16 through 9 games.
Final Thought
Louisville inexplicably lost two games on their schedule that would normally be thought of as “laughers” (Cal and UVA), but still manage to be towards the top of the ACC.
Louisville blasted our Tigers at Death Valley last season, in a game reminiscent of the 2012 Orange Bowl. There was just no stopping the run game a season ago from the Cards and the Clemson offense could do next to nothing.
Clemson’s offense seems to be hitting its stride, and the defense has put together two straight solid games. Wild things happen on ACC Friday night games. Let’s hope the something wild is a Clemson victory on the road.
Enjoy the game.
