Scott Satterfield does not understand why the media is so critical of Clemson.
When the Louisville head coach watches the second-ranked Tigers, he said he sees a team that has a star or impact kind of player at every position. He sees a team that is as good, if not better, than anyone else in college football.
“They have won 21 straight games and I think 15 out of the last 16 games they won by more than 14 points,” he said. “It is unbelievable what people want to right a story about. ‘This is not the Clemson we are used to.’
“What? These guys are good. They are coached well, and they expect to win.”
Satterfield and his Louisville Cardinals (4-2, 2-1 ACC) will host Clemson on Saturday at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The Tigers are listed as a 24-point favorite according to Las Vegas.
Clemson (6-0, 4-0 ACC) is coming off a 45-14 victory over Florida State, the 18th time during its 21-game winning streak it took down an opponent by 14 or more points. Prior to the North Carolina game on Sept. 28, it was the first program in 73 years to win 14 straight games by at least two touchdowns.
The Tar Heels scored a touchdown with 1:17 to play in the game and decided to go for the win with a two-point conversion. The Tigers stopped the two-point attempt and went on to win the game 21-20.
“They have a lot of talent, and again, they are 18- to 22-year old guys and they went into Chapel Hill … maybe they were a little flat. I don’t know. Maybe give some credit to Carolina. They played well,” Satterfield said. “Defensively, they had a great plan and kind of confused Clemson a little bit. They made enough plays on offense and the next thing you know you’re sitting there in the second half and this is a tight ballgame.
“That is how you end up beating a team like Clemson, though. You play it close and you hang around there for a little bit and the next thing you know you are in the fourth quarter and you have a game. Now, who knows what is going to happen after that. Carolina had an opportunity. They go down and try to go for the two, go for the win, and they didn’t get it, but it was really, really close. It shows that you have to show up each and every week. I don’t care who you are playing, or you can get beat.”
Satterfield admitted, his players saw what North Carolina did to give itself a chance to win the game against the Tigers.
“Our guys have seen that so if we go out and execute, then will have an opportunity to win the game,” he said.
We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Fanatics. This is great news for Tiger fans as they have the officially licensed Clemson gear.
The Clemson Insider will get a portion of all sales so get ready for another championship season by ordering your Clemson gear today and help support TCI.
