HOW ‘BOUT THEM CARDINALS!

What a win for Jeff Brohm and this Louisville team with all the odds stacked against them. To go into Death Valley and knock off Clemson in a night game for the first time since 2013 is just absurd and I know Louisville fans are still trying to wrap their heads around it. They really just went in there and did THAT.

Last night might’ve been the biggest road win I’ve ever seen Louisville win in terms of magnitude. The chances of dominating Clemson at their house is slim to none and yet Jeff Brohm and Ron English had a great game plan that was executed as well as possible.

If there was any time to build momentum down the stretch of a season after a big win, now is definitely the time. The team that Louisville displayed last night was a formidable one that made plays on both sides of the ball and it’s evident how much better they are when the defense can get stops, it changes everything.

I apologize for the ranting before my takeaways and analysis, but I’m still in awe of the fact that Louisville has finally beaten Clemson for the first time in program history, and man, does it feel good.

Every Louisville fan knows the feeling I’m describing where it feels like it’s going to be a long game for us, as that’s what last night’s game felt like early. Not the worst start for the Cardinals at all with a quick three-and-out for Tigers, now it was time to capitalize. Jeff Brohm’s offense drove down the field and had to settle for a 40-yard field for Brock Travelstead, which he missed.

It was at that moment, every Louisville supporter felt that feeling I alluded to above, but the squad had different plans. Clemson looked like themselves on one early scoring drive that resulted in a touchdown, but this defense was stingy from that point on in the game. Ron English deserves as much credit for this win as he does the criticism when they look disorganized. Watching the defense fly over the place, make plays on the ball, get pressure on the quarterback and show discipline is a breath of fresh air. Clemson’s high powered offense was stymied for basically an entire game, which obviously changed the trajectory of the game for Louisville.

His return to the sidelines was the most important part of the game plan I believe, because it’s evident that they play much better when he’s down there communicating with them directly, instead of sitting up in a press box. English has had a good last two weeks and he’ll have to keep that up to take Louisville to the next level.

Defense was the story in this one, but the offense did an excellent job as well, getting points on the board in critical moments. The collective effort from Tyler Shough and the guys was an A+, but I mean it when I say this kid Isaac Brown is next level, he’s as legit as they come. Brown had another monster week, finishing with 151 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 20 carries (7.6 avg).

To do what he’s doing right now as a true freshman is insane and his speed with the ball makes him a game changer for Brohm and the offense. Seriously, there’s a possibility that Isaac Brown will go down as the best running back in Louisville’s history, he’s that good. He carried the load of the offense and didn’t disappoint at all. Dabo Swinney had no answer for him as he broke loose multiple times for big gains. Louisville should make it their top priority that Brown returns next season, because he’ll be highly coveted around the country.

Scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter to go up by 10 at halftime was huge, because now Clemson was in scramble mode. They didn’t expect to be losing by double digits at halftime to this team at all and yet they were. The second half was about Louisville playing mistake free football on offense and that’s exactly what they did. Clemson was out of sorts the whole time until late in the fourth quarter, as Louisville’s defense was playing with their hair on fire. I knew they were playing with a different edge when they stuffed the Tigers on a fourth and short in their own territory. That’s the defense we all remember from a year ago.

Even though Louisville didn’t get any touchdowns in the third, it was those field goals that put just enough pressure on Clemson to score and they still couldn’t. The Tigers knew they had to play with urgency to comeback and win, but it was to no avail. Louisville completely dismantled them in all three faucets of the game.

To see the Cardinals send Clemson fans home early was a beautiful sight and that’s something Louisville will remember for the rest of time. It’s still a surreal feeling that they slayed the giant in his backyard. My biggest takeaway in this game is that Louisville can use this fuel and win out, possibly putting themselves in contention for a NY6 Bowl, but only time will tell.

In the meantime, they can enjoy being bowl eligible, beating Clemson for the first time in school history, and being ranked in the AP top 25 again (#25). Take it all in, you just witnessed arguably the biggest road win in Louisville’s history.

The Cardinals will be back in action on the road against Stanford in two weeks (time tbd).