Petrino Previews Saturday's ACC Game with Clemson
October 06, 2014 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- The University of Louisville joined the Atlantic Coast Conference to be a part of games like they will face this weekend in Clemson, S.C. The Cardinals travel to "Death Valley" to face No. 25 Clemson on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Entering the game at 5-1 and 3-1 in the ACC, head coach Bobby Petrino is expecting a big-time atmosphere when the Cardinals visit the Tigers, who are coming off a 41-0 win over NC State and our putting points up at an alarming rate.
Over the last two games, the Tigers are averaging 45.5 points per game in the last two wins over North Carolina and NC State.
"We have a great challenge ahead of us," Petrino said. "Clemson is very explosive on offense. It will be our biggest challenge that our defense will face to date. They can throw the ball deep, a quarterback that can run and a great receiver. They have a lot of pieces in that office."
Clemson's explosive offense will have to face the nation's top defensive unit in the country. The UofL defense leads the country in total defense at 230.2 yards per game and is tops in the country with 12 interceptions. Louisville has yet to allow an opponent more than 300 yards of total offense this season, with Murray State coming the closet with 292 yards on Sept. 6.
"It will be a great trip for us," Petrino said. "When you look at the schedule we said we get to go to play in "Death Valley." These are the types of games that the players we recruit and the guys that are here came to play in. We have to have a good week of preparation and go play good football to come away with a win."
The Cardinals won their third-straight game on Friday night with a dominating 28-6 win over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. True freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon led the Cardinals to a victory after throwing for 174 yards and one touchdown.
The Cardinals aren't operating like a normal Petrino offensive team, but the fifth-year head coach thinks his offensive unit is getting a little better each day.
"Reggie improved during the game," Petrino said. "I thought he handled the adversity well. We would like to get off to a quicker start, but he did do a great job in the fourth quarter and made some big plays that allowed us to win the game."
Petrino delivered good news at his weekly press conference when he said there was a good chance star wide receiver DeVante Parker could make his first appearance after breaking a bone in his football during training camp.
"I think he's going to be good to go," Petrino said. "Between our medical staff and the group that gave him the operation, they gave him the thumbs up to practice on Tuesday."
Parker, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound senior from Louisville, ran routes and worked out with teammates this weekend in preparation for Tuesday's first practice for the Clemson game.
The former Ballard High product led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns last fall and is considered a potential first-round NFL draft pick next year. He fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot in practice a week before Louisville's season opener against Miami and has missed the past six games.
The possible return of Parker is great news for a Louisville offense that is averaging 388.3 yards per game, which Petrino isn't accustomed too during his career.
Parker will give the offense a big lift, but playing in "Death Valley" will be the biggest challenge for the Cardinals this season.
