Instant Analysis: Clemson's playoff hopes gashed in upset loss

Clemson fell in stunning fashion at home versus Louisville.

by Grayson Mann - Correspondent - Sat Nov 02 23:26:01 GMT-05:00 2024

CLEMSON - Clemson wanted it to be a “November to remember.”

Louisville gave them a game the Tigers will want to quickly forget.

The Cardinals came in and outplayed Clemson in every phase of the game, stifling the Tigers' playoff hopes along with it, 33-21.

The Tigers’ six-game win streak has been snapped, and they enter the rest of November with more questions than answers.

Here’s what we saw.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Isaac Brown has been stellar all year.

Against Wes Goodwin’s defense, he was the best player on the field. Brown rushed for over 100 yards on the evening, gashing the Tiger front seven with a combination of solid blocking and elusive maneuvers.

The Cardinals rushing attack was the story of the evening, and Brown was Louisville’s top headline.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: It was not an ideal night for the Tiger defense, but Wade Woodaz has continued playing his best football.

For most of the evening, Woodaz led the team in tackles by five or more, delivering hits to try to keep Clemson in the game.

He also tried to make an impact off the field, coming to each position group to encourage them as the night continued to sour.

For what was otherwise a miserable night for Goodwin’s defense, Woodaz was a lone bright spot.

STAT OF THE GAME: Entering Saturday’s matchup, the Tiger rush defense had shown an inconsistency that could be exposed by the right group.

Louisville quickly stepped up to the plate.

Heading into November, the Tigers ranked 67th nationally in yards per carry, giving up 4.2 yards per rush. Against the Cardinals, it was a different story.

The Louisville offense averaged nearly eight yards per carry, gashing Goodwin’s defense throughout the evening.

The Cardinals had more rushing yards than passing on the evening, displaying a willingness to run the rock until Clemson could prove they were capable of stopping it.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: Clemson and Louisville appeared to be heading into the half with a near stalemate.

A blocked field goal was the item that threw the game sideways. Louisville didn’t look back the rest of the way, with Tyler Shough flipping his way into the end zone to put the Cardinals up ten.

The bleeding for Clemson didn’t stop there, as multiple failed drives culminated in another blocked field goal that sucked any semblance of hope left.

Combine that with a lack of time to mount any sort of comeback, and the first game in November will be remembered as an ugly blemish.

NEXT UP: Clemson will kick off a two-game road trip with a trip to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. The time is TBD.