Clemson’s football’s ACC title and playoff ambitions took a major hit after a disappointing 33-21 home loss to Louisville last weekend, a game in which they were favored by 10 points. The Tigers, riding high on a six-game winning streak and boasting one of the nation’s highest-scoring offenses, were expected to continue that momentum but instead found themselves outmatched by a resilient Louisville squad.
Louisville’s defense held Clemson’s previously high-powered offense in check, forcing key turnovers and blocking two field goals. Clemson’s defense, meanwhile, struggled to stop Louisville’s ground game, allowing 210 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals put together five consecutive scoring drives to close out the game.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt didn’t hold back his surprise at Clemson’s performance. “I was totally wrong about Clemson,” Klatt shared on his podcast, explaining that he believed Clemson’s recent offensive success would continue. He added, “I was putting them in the playoff, and they threw out an absolute stinker…at home. I did not see that coming.”
Klatt further emphasized the impact of Louisville’s head coach, Jeff Brohm, who has a history of pulling off big upsets. “This goes back to what Jeff Brohm just does,” Klatt said, recalling Brohm’s penchant for upsetting top teams. “But doing it on the road at Clemson, that was impressive, and that’s got to be a disappointing, disappointing, frustrating loss for Clemson fans.”
With this setback, Clemson (6-2, 5-1 ACC) will look to regroup when they head to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech this Saturday. Their defeat, along with Pittsburgh’s loss to SMU, leaves Miami and SMU as the ACC’s only undefeated teams in conference play.