CLEMSON – Halfway through the action here in Death Valley, No. 11 Clemson finds itself in a dogfight with an upset Louisville team as the Cardinals lead the Tigers 17-7.

Observations at halftime

– The Clemson offense needed a few drives to shake off some of the rust from the bye week. After three consecutive threes and outs to start the game, Clemson finally pulled off an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive just before the end of the first quarter. Another drive late in the second quarter appeared to result in points, but a 49-yard FG attempt by Nolan Hauser was blocked.

– The Cardinals shredded the Clemson defense for a total of 228 yards, 133 of which came on the ground. Poor angles, over-pursuits and poor tackling are all factored in. This defense just hasn't been very disciplined so far.

— Clemson lost Peter Woods, Tre Williams and Shelton Lewis to injuries in the first half.

– Cade Klubnik only caught passes for 87 yards in the first two quarters. Against a Louisville pass defense that was terribly leaky for most of the season.

– Klubnik’s legs were a factor in the first half. He has 35 rushing yards and has extended some plays. One of those came on the touchdown drive, when he picked up six yards on a first down deep in Louisville territory and a 12-yard run on the final drive of the half.

– Several times in that first half, Louisville's entire offensive line slammed to the ground as soon as the ball was snapped to cut through the Tigers' defensive front. Reminiscent of the teams Paul Johnson coached at Georgia Tech many years ago. Woods appeared to have been injured on one of those cut blocks.

– Matt Luke wasn’t happy with the play of the offensive line on the first two drives of the game. You could see the Tigers offensive coach chewing on his players after the second offensive ball. It wasn't the best half of football from the guys at the top.

– Speaking of coach being hot, Dabo Swinney has been extremely unhappy with some of the calls here so far. It started with a questionable delay in the play call by DeMonte Caphart, and then Swinney really blew up in the second quarter after Avieon Terrell was cited for interference and an apparent hold went uncalled on the next play.

A limited number of signed replica street signs by Cade Klubnik are available! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or buy online!