By Will Vandervort.

Chad Morris and the Clemson offense went into last week’s game against NC State already thin on the offensive line. They now head into Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kick against Louisville in Death Valley a little thinner.

On Sunday, the Tigers (3-2, 2-1 ACC) found out they will be without the services of reserve center Jay Guillermo, who broke his foot in the 41-0 victory against the Wolfpack and will be out three to five weeks. This came following the loss of reserve right tackle Joe Gore, who an appendectomy last Wednesday. He is expected to miss Saturday’s game and maybe more.

That leaves Morris with six offensive linemen going into the game against the nation’s No. 1 defense in Louisville. When Clemson released its depth chart Monday morning one player was listed as a starter at one position and as backup at three more.

Graduate Reid Webster is listed as the starter at right guard, while backing up Ryan Norton at center, Isaiah Battle at left tackle and Kalon Davis at right tackle.

“It is really good to see some guys that are capable of playing three positions to help us out,” Morris said. “Obviously, as a coach, you don’t want to be in this situation, but it is what it is. There is nothing you can do about it.”

But Morris has been preparing for this exact thing since the spring when he and head coach Dabo Swinney started cross training the entire offensive line. It all began when Patrick DeStefano’s and Gif Timothy’s careers ended last year with career-ending injuries. It continued again before the Georgia game when Shaq Anthony left the team unexpectedly the week before.

The Tigers came into the year with only eight players who could play on the offensive line, and now they are down to six.

“We lost a couple of guys that we were definitely planning on playing this year. Patrick and Gif would have been great people to have, then Shaq leaving, he was working with the ones and the twos,” Davis said. “We lost a couple of people, but we will have to overcome it with what we have.”

And that means you might see the Tigers slowdown a little bit with their pace, though Morris says he does not plan to change anything.

“I don’t know if it changes your philosophy, you do what you do,” Clemson’s offensive coordinator said. “We are thin. We are thinner than we have ever been. We have guys playing multiple positions that are very versatile, which is good in a way.

“But as far as what do you do? You don’t change what you do and how you approach things, but maybe we do change some of the ways in which we practice.”

In practice, Morris is go, go, go with the tempo the whole time, but with guys like Webster playing almost every snap he might have to take a different approach

“There may be some things I have to change in a few (practice) periods on my own to help elevate some things,” he said. “You have to be careful. You have to be smart with that and not burn them out. You have to have them ready for the game.”

And he has to come out of this game with the same amount of guys on the offensive line.