Tag: Louisville football

Former Badger running back explodes for two touchdowns in 49ers blowout win

Former Badger running back explodes for two touchdowns in 49ers blowout win

Former Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo exploded for 128 total yards and two rushing touchdowns in the San Francisco 49ers’ 38-13 win vs. the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

A week after all-world running back Christian McCaffrey went down with an injury against the Buffalo Bills, Guerendo assumed the starting running back responsibilities.

He paced the 49ers’ backfield with 15 carries for 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the triumph. He also reeled in two catches for 50 receiving yards.

The former Badger’s first score came at the 1:39-minute mark in the first quarter on a one-yard rush. That score put San Francisco up 14-0 and punctuated a dominant first frame of action.

Guerendo crossed the goal line again on the first play of the fourth quarter after rushing up the middle for a four-yard score. He registered two more touches from that point forward to put a ribbon on his most impressive NFL performance of his young career.

Guerendo played for five years at Wisconsin from 2018-2022 before transferring to Louisville for his 2023 season. During his tenure in Madison, he notched 99 carries, 582 yards and six touchdowns in 27 games.

Guerendo is now up to 57 carries, 324 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in his rookie NFL season. He has also recorded seven receptions for 69 yards with the 49ers.

San Francisco will square off next against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Dec. 12.

Wisconsin football listed as team to watch for top transfer portal quarterback

Wisconsin football listed as team to watch for top transfer portal quarterback

Wisconsin football has emerged as a potential landing spot for Texas A&M transfer portal quarterback Connor Weigman.

Weigman announced his plans to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Since that decision, Wisconsin Syracuse, Louisville, Iowa and Missouri have emerged as potential landing spots for the former five-star recruit.

As a sophomore with the Aggies, Weigman completed 64-of-114 passes for 819 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in six games.

Weigman also endured his fair share of ups and downs throughout his 2024 campaign. Following a bumpy first performance against Notre Dame, he responded with a solid performance in a win over McNeese State. An injury to his AC joint in his throwing shoulder sidelined him until Week 6 against Missouri — a game in which he led the Aggies to a 41-10 blowout win.

From there, he played just three more games of the season. He finished with a 37-yard, one-interception performance vs. New Mexico State before redshirt freshman Marcel Reed took control of the job.

Still, the highly-touted recruit has flashed his brilliance. As a freshman in 2022, Weigman made the first start of his career against Ole Miss and set a school record with 338 passing yards. His 896-yard, eight-touchdown season-long output earned him 2022 ESPN Freshman All-American nods, and it appeared as if he was on a trajectory to be Texas A&M’s pass-thrower for the long haul.

Plus, 247Sports’ composite listed Weigman as No. 22 overall recruit in the 2022 class and the nation’s No. 2 quarterback. The potential is there.

Now, the Texas native is in the portal. Given Wisconsin starting quarterback Braedyn Locke’s late-season struggles and uncertainly revolving around Tyler Van Dyke’s ACL recovery, Weigman’s link to the Badgers makes sense.

The Badges are also set to roster a batch young quarterback talents including Mabrey Mettauer, Carter Smith and Landyn Locke, who may not be ready to take over the quarterback responsibility. The Badgers have acquired their last two starting pass-throwers — Tanner Mordecai and Van Dyke — in the portal. Weigman would fit that same mold.

Dabo Swinney takes responsibility as Clemson ‘didn’t deserve to win’ against Louisville

Swinney takes responsibility for Clemson football’s awful performance.

Clemson football’s path to an ACC title and potential playoff berth narrowed significantly after a 33-21 upset loss to Louisville on Saturday night. Entering as the No. 11 team and unbeaten in ACC play, the Tigers were positioned to contend for a spot in the ACC Championship. However, with both Miami and SMU securing wins to remain undefeated in the conference, Clemson now finds itself behind in the standings.

Louisville’s offense exploited Clemson’s defense, racking up 210 rushing yards and averaging almost eight yards per carry, while the Tigers failed to record a sack or force a turnover. The offense, too, struggled to establish a rhythm, unable to capitalize on Louisville’s 76th-ranked pass defense. “We didn’t play anywhere near our best tonight,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “It is a missed opportunity. Huge missed opportunity. We didn’t deserve to win. They absolutely deserved to win.”

Swinney took accountability, saying, “We looked like a very poorly-coached team tonight, and that’s on me. Just incredibly disappointed with our performance.” He also voiced his disappointment for fans, acknowledging that “this was a missed one tonight, for sure.”

Now, Clemson must refocus with a tough slate ahead, including Virginia Tech, Pitt, Citadel, and South Carolina. “We don’t control our destiny anymore, that’s the frustrating part,” Swinney said. “But the one thing we can control is how we respond. That is what we control. We’ve just got to find a way to go win the next one.”

Louisville suffocates Clemson, Tigers’ future becomes unclear

Clemson was never in control against Louisville Saturday night.

Led by a revamped defense, Louisville held Cade Klubnik and the Clemson Tigers‘ high-powered offense in check for much of the night in a suffocating 33-21 Clemson loss that dealt a huge blow to the Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes.

Clemson (6-2 overall, 5-1 ACC) was never in control Saturday night in Death Valley as the Tigers got outplayed — and out-coached.

Louisville (6-3, 4-2) ended the night with 366 yards of total offense, including 210 rushing yards. Clemson’s defense didn’t record a single sack all night and forced only one punt until the fourth quarter. Clemson finished the night with 441 yards of offense, most of it coming in the final period with the Cardinals in control.

The Tigers’ offense started the night with two three-and-out drives and didn’t get a first down until 3:45 to play in the opening quarter. The offense seemed to be roaring to life after Klubnik hit freshman receiver T.J. Moore on a slant for 22 yards and then, two plays later, for 13 more to the Louisville 12-yard line.

Klubnik found Antonio Williams for a 12-yard touchdown and the Tigers’ first points of the night. Nolan Hauser’s extra point gave Clemson a 7-3 lead with 16 seconds left in the opening quarter.

None of the sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium would have guessed that Louisville would score the game’s next 26 points.

The Cardinals took the lead in the second quarter when sixth-year quarterback Tyler Shough somersaulted into the end-zone from four yards out for a 10-7 lead with 5:42 left in the half. Shough’s run capped a 92-yard drive in just under three minutes.

A turning point in the game came when Clemson drove to the Cardinals’ 32-yard line on the Tigers’ next possession, only to see the drive stall. The Tigers tried to settle for a 50-yard Nolan Hauser field goal but the kick was blocked by T.J. Quinn with 1:43 to play until halftime.

Louisville took over at the Clemson 47-yard line, and Keyjuan Brown finished off a scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run for a 17-7 Cardinals lead with 43 seconds left in the half.

Jeff Brohm’s team started the second half much like how they closed the first, driving to the Clemson 22-yard line. Brock Travelstead knocked home a 42-yard field for a 20-7 Louisville lead.

After Clemson went three and out following a near interception from Klubnik, Louisville drove to the Tigers’ 23-yard line and settled for another field goal from Travelstead — a 40-yard kick that made it 23-7 with 6:47 left.

Another Louisville field goal added to the lead as Clemson fell into a deeper hole. After that Cardinals scoring drive, the Tigers had managed only 177 total yards and trailed 26-7 going into the fourth quarter. Clemson was averaging less than 5.0 yards per play.

Clemson drove 66 yards to the Louisville 7-yard line. Dabo Swinney made the curious decision to kick a field goal with his team facing fourth and goal. Louisville executed its second blocked kick of the night to keep the score at 26-7 and all but close the curtains.

When Phil Mafah scored from three yards out with six minutes left, it cut the lead to 26-13. Swinney made another curious decision to kick the extra point when a 2-point conversion could have made it an 11-point game. Even taking the extra point out of the equation, the drive took five minutes off the clock as Clemson showed no signs of hurry-up.

After a failed onside recovery attempt went to Louisville, Isaac Brown rushed 45 yards for a touchdown on the Cardinals’ first play from scrimmage to put Louisville ahead 33-14 with 5:50 left.

Mafah scored from a yard out with 2:07 to play to make it 33-21 after Hauser’s extra point, but the Cardinals were well on their way to their first win in program history against Clemson.

Klubnik finished the night with 56 pass attempts but only 228 yards on 32 completions for an average of 4.1 per catch.

The Tigers will head to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech next Saturday at Lane Stadium.

Everything Nick Saban, ‘College GameDay’ crew said about Clemson-Louisville matchup

Check out what Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee said about Clemson’s Week 10 showdown with Louisville.

This story has been updated to include new information. 

The No. 8 Clemson Tigers are looking for their seventh straight win tonight when they welcome the Louisville Cardinals to Death Valley.

“College GameDay” previewed the game live from State College, Pa., where the ESPN crew is set up for today’s top-five matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions.

Here’s what GameDay analysts Nick Saban, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee had to say about Clemson vs. Louisville.

Nick Saban praises Dabo Swinney

“People kind of wrote them off after the Georgia game, and they’ve won every game since,” Saban said. “They’re averaging 45 points a game. They have a young defense. That young defense has gotten better and better as the season has gone on. I think Dabo has done a fantastic job of helping this team develop into a top team in contention for the ACC title.”

Desmond Howard predicts Clemson win over Louisville

“This is (Louisville’s) seventh game in a row and their third road game in four weeks,” Howard said. “I do think they’re going to be in a shootout with Clemson, just like they were with Miami, but I think it’s just gonna be too much for them late in the game — and Clemson is going to win.”

Pat McAfee sounds off on Clemson

“When you talk about this Clemson team and what they’ve been since that Georgia game, and I know they haven’t played anybody of an elite ranking (since Georgia), but this is what I think a lot of people have expected out of a Dabo Swinney team,” McAfee said.

“Now, their defense isn’t as dominant as it has been in the past but Cade Klubnik is playing his best ball. They’re averaging like 500 yards a game or something like that. (Phil) Mafah goes goes ‘Mafah crazy’ … Everything is still in front of Clemson when we thought it was potentially over and they weren’t as good as they once were. Remember, (Dabo) doesn’t use the transfer portal. He didn’t get rid of everybody. He didn’t just reboot. Nobody knew if Clemson was going to be what they are. They are.”

Kirk Herbstreit outlines potential deciding factor in Clemson vs. Louisville

“The difference, I think, could be three things: Louisville’s struggled against mobile quarterbacks, and Klubnik can move around and make plays with his feet,” Herbstreit said. “And the other thing is the turnover margin has been significant: Clemson +9. Been a disaster for Louisville, they’re -2. I think that’s the difference in the game, especially in Death Valley.”

Clemson and Louisville will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.

RELATED: How to watch Clemson vs Louisville today: Time, TV channel for Week 10

Pick-by-pick College GameDay predictions, analysis for Clemson-Louisville

The panel of Howard, Saban, Corso, McAfee, Herbstreit and celebrity guest picker Keegan Michael-Key all picked Clemson to beat Louisville.

“Clemson coming off a bye. I think shootout, but Clemson will beat Louisville,” Howard said.

“I think Louisville is the best team Clemson’s played since they opened with Georgia, but I think Clemson will take this one in a close one,” Saban added.

“I agree with both of them. Let’s continue to roll with the Clemson Tiger train. This is Dabo Swinney football, baby,” McAfee said.

Herbstreit closed with his prediction.

“I think this has a chance to be a shootout. I think Louisville can score with them. Cade Klubnik’s legs are the difference in this game.”

USA TODAY Sports experts offer predictions on Clemson vs Louisville

Here’s who USA TODAY Sports experts think will win Clemson vs Louisville.

Following a bye week, the Clemson Tigers are back at it this Saturday when they host the Louisville Cardinals in Death Valley. The Tigers have won their last six games to improve to 6-1 overall. Clemson is ranked No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Louisville is 5-3 and unranked, but the Cardinals’ three losses were to No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 20 SMU and the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes. Those three programs are a combined 22-2 this season. Jeff Brohm’s team is coming off a 31-27 win at Boston College last Friday night.

Clemson is the favorite entering this matchup, but Dabo Swinney said this week that Louisville would be the toughest team his Tigers have faced since the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 1.

“They can score points on anybody and really, really do a great job of putting pressure on you offensively to have to match them,” Swinney said. “They move the ball on everyone. To me, this is certainly the most complete and best offense we’ve seen since Georgia.

Clemson football vs Louisville predictions

On Thursday, the six-member panel of Dan Wolken, Paul Myerberg, Eddie Timanus, Scooby Axson, Jordan Mendoza and Erick Smith all predicted the Tigers to win Saturday’s game against Louisville in the group’s weekly Top 25 college football predictions, released Thursday.

It’s easy to see why Clemson is the favorite. Cade Klubnik is playing his best football to date, having thrown for 1,836 yards and 20 touchdown passes to three interceptions. The Tigers’ receiving corps has stepped up this season as well.

Sophomore Antonio Williams leads the team with 393 receiving yards on 28 catches and has eight catches for 20 yards or more. Williams and tight end Jake Briningstool are virtually tied for the team-lead in catches while freshmen like Bryant Wesco (11 catches, 262 yards) and T.J. Moore (16 catches, 268 yards) have also stepped up.

RELATED: Dabo Swinney shares injury updates on key wide receivers Bryant Wesco, Tyler Brown

Kickoff for Saturday’s game Clemson-Louisville game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.

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Louisville ‘best offense we’ve seen since Georgia,’ Dabo Swinney says

Clemson will have its hands full Saturday night against Louisville’s offense.

No one is likely to mistake the Louisville Cardinals for the Georgia Bulldogs any time soon, but Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has seen enough from Jeff Brohm’s team on film to be plenty impressed.

Speaking at his weekly Tuesday press conference, Swinney said that the Cardinals and quarterback Tyler Shough were the best offense the Tigers will have seen since Georgia in Week 1.

“They can score points on anybody and really, really do a great job of putting pressure on you offensively to have to match them,” Swinney told reporters. “They move the ball on everyone. To me, this is certainly the most complete and best offense we’ve seen since Georgia.

“It’s a really good group. Their quarterback is a future pro and knows what the heck he’s doing. They’re really well-coached and I think (Shough is) an extension of the coach out on the field.”

RELATED: Dabo Swinney shares injury updates on key wide receivers Bryant Wesco, Tyler Brown

Louisville enters the week ranked 10th among FBS teams in passing yards with Shough ranking ninth in the nation individually. The sixth-year senior has thrown for 2,348 yards and 20 touchdown to five interceptions. He was 28-of-38 for 332 yards in the Cardinals’ 31-27 win at Boston College last Friday night.

In total offense, Louisville ranks 15th in the nation (Clemson is fifth).

“They’ve got some really, really good skill and… the best group of receivers since Georgia,” Swinney added. “Again, they do a lot of things to challenge you from a discipline standpoint from their run game and all the boots, swap boots off it, and play-action shots. The quarterback is a factor with his legs as well, but he’s a very accurate thrower and a veteran, experienced and savvy football player.”

Louisville (5-3) has three losses, but they’ve all been to Top 25 teams: at No. 9 Notre Dame and home losses to No. 20 SMU and No. 5 Miami. Swinney was quick to point out the Cardinals’ competitiveness in every game this season.

“Three losses, but all of them by a touchdown or less and I think their three losses have come to three teams that are a combined 22-2,” Swinney said. “So, they’ve been in some very, very competitive games. We’ve got our hands full there.”

Clemson (6-1) is ranked No. 8 in this week’s Coaches Poll after the Tigers’ bye week. Kickoff for Clemson-Louisville is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.

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ESPN assigns veteran NFL broadcasters to Clemson-Louisville game

Here’s who will be on the call for ESPN Saturday when the Clemson Tigers face the Louisville Cardinals in Death Valley.

Fans of the Clemson Tigers will be hearing the voices of a different ESPN broadcast crew Saturday night when Dabo Swinney’s team welcomes the Louisville Cardinals to Death Valley.

The crew of Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) and Louis Reddick (analyst) will have the call of Clemson vs. Louisville from the booth for ESPN, the network announced Monday. Kris Budden will handle sideline duties. It’s the first time this season that the duo of Wischusen and Riddick will call a Clemson game.

Wischusen is an ESPN veteran, having been part of the network’s college football coverage since 2006. He is the radio voice of the New York Jets. Riddick has had many roles with ESPN since joining the network in 2013, including its coverage of Monday Night Football.

Riddick played for the Pitt Panthers from 1987-1990. He went on to play in the NFL for six seasons, making stops with the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders.

RELATED: Latest update on kickoff for Clemson-Virginia Tech in crucial Week 11 game

Clemson (6-1 overall, 5-0 ACC) moved up one spot to No. 8 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. Kickoff for Clemson vs. Louisville (5-3, 3-2) is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Additionally, radio coverage of Saturday’s game can be heard on SiriusXM Channel 82 with the Clemson Athletic Network crew of Don Munson, Tim Bourret and Reggie Merriweather.

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Kickoff time, TV info announced for Clemson football vs. Louisville

Kickoff time for Clemson vs. Louisville on Nov. 2 was announced late Saturday.

Late Saturday night, the ACC announced kickoff times for Week 10 games, including the Clemson Tigers‘ matchup against the Louisville Cardinals in Death Valley on Nov. 2.

The Tigers (6-1) and Cardinals (5-3) will kick off in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.

It’s the third time this season that Cade Klubnik and the Tigers will play under the lights at Clemson Memorial Stadium. The Tigers hosted both App State and Stanford in prime time back in September.

RELATED: Clemson has a clear path to the 2024 College Football Playoff

Clemson had a bye over the weekend and were ranked No. 9 in the Coaches Poll entering the day Sunday. Louisville defeated Boston College 31-27 on Friday, erasing a 20-0 first-half deficit and rallying from 10 points down in the fourth quarter.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are 8-0 all-time against Louisville since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014. The two teams last met in November 2022, a 31-16 Clemson victory in Death Valley.

ACC Week 10 Kickoff Times, TV info

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Latest update on kickoff for Clemson-Louisville in pivotal Week 10 game

The latest on Clemson vs. Louisville in Week 10 on Nov. 2.

The Clemson Tigers will welcome the Louisville Cardinals to Death Valley in Week 10 of ACC play on Nov. 2.

As for kickoff and TV/broadcast information for the game, the ACC announced on Monday that it was using its six-day “flex” for all conference matchups in Week 10, including Clemson-Louisville.

In short, that means the ACC and its TV affiliates (namely ESPN) haven’t decided on Week 10 kickoff times or TV designations. Those won’t be announced until after the conclusion of Week 9 games this Saturday.

Clemson (6-1), ranked No. 9 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, is idle this week. Cade Klubnik and the Tigers defeated the Virginia Cavaliers, 48-31, over the weekend at Clemson Memorial Stadium.

Klubnik threw for three touchdowns and 308 yards on 23-of-35 passing in the Tigers’ sixth straight win. Clemson had over 500 yards of total offense for the second straight week.

RELATED: Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik not happy with his performance against Virginia

Week 9 ACC slate

This Saturday, the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes (7-0) will look to stay unbeaten when they welcome the Florida State Seminoles (1-6) to Hard Rock Stadium for their annual rivalry game (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Elsewhere in ACC play, the Pitt Panthers (6-0) host the Syracuse Orange (5-1) Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Eli Holstein and the Panthers are ranked No. 20 in this week’s Coaches Poll. Pitt was idle in Week 8.

The SMU Mustangs (6-1) travel to Durham Saturday to face the Duke Blue Devils (6-1) at 8 p.m. ET on ACC Network. SMU defeated Stanford, 40-10, in Palo Alto over the weekend while Duke slipped past FSU, 23-16. The Mustangs are ranked No. 22 in the Coaches Poll.

Louisville (4-3) plays at Boston College (4-3) Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Cardinals fell 52-45 to Miami over the weekend.

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