By Will Vandervort.

Louisville coach says he did not mean to compare Carrier Dome to Death Valley

Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino says he did mean to compare Clemson’s Death Valley to Syracuse’s Carrier Dome when he was asked a question about playing at Clemson earlier this week.

“I did not really mean to compare them,” he said Wednesday during the ACC Coaches’ weekly teleconference. “I was just saying that when you go on the road and play, it’s loud, you know!?”

On Monday, Petrino was quoted as saying, “(The Carrier Dome) was a loud place. I don’t know if it can get any louder,” when he answered a question about the noise level his Cardinals will see in Death Valley this coming Saturday against No. 25 Clemson.

The Carrier Dome might have been loud, but it is easy to see why Clemson people took the comment so literally when it sounded as if Petrino was comparing the 37,569 Syracuse fans that came to their game last Friday to that of the more than 81,000 that will be packed into Clemson Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

“We know it is going to be a loud and hostile environment,” Petrino said. “I really did not mean to make any comparison. It’s just the fact when you do go on the road, it is really loud and you have to do a good job of focusing and concentrating on your job at hand.”

But Clemson (3-2, 2-1 ACC) takes pride in being louder than most stadiums and it documents it as an accomplishment in the football program’s media guide. There are quotes from former Clemson players to former NFL stars like Steve Young and Matt Ryan as well as from ESPN and ABC broadcasters and commentators on how loud Death Valley can be.

“We know we have a great challenge ahead of us having to go and play at Clemson, which is a very loud atmosphere and a great crowd,” Petrino said. “But we look forward to the challenge.”

Petrino says the Cardinals (5-1, 3-1 ACC) have been working on the crowd noise all week as he tries to get his two quarterbacks prepared for what they will see and hear in Death Valley.

“I think it is something you have to work hard at in practice and communicating. We will have the noise going and make it loud,” the Louisville coach said. “We just have to be able to communicate, keep our poise and be able to understand the clock and communicate in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams.

“We know it is going to be a real loud and hostile environment so you have to keep your focus on the field.”

True freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon has started the last two games against Wake Forest and Syracuse after redshirt sophomore Will Gardner injured his knee a few weeks ago. Gardner is expected to back this week, but Petrino will not name a starter for the game as of right now.

Bonnafon has improved in each of his two starts for the Cardinals, including a 12 of 22 effort for 174 yards in last week’s win at Syracuse. Petrino says he isn’t sure how his young quarterback will play at Death Valley, but he is glad he has already played in a couple of road games to this point – even if the crowd was not as loud or as large as Clemson Memorial Stadium.

“We are going to find out. He has improved,” Petrino said. “He has gotten better. We have been on the road so that is a good thing. If this was our first game going in then it would really be a concern, but we have been on the road a couple of times and had to be able to communicate with noise so it is something we have to execute and work on all week in practice.”

Saturday will be the largest crowd Louisville has played in front of since beating Florida in the Sugar Bowl two years ago.