Watch: Jeff Brohm, Chris Barclay and Louisville Players Preview Clemson

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Despite being a strong second half team this season, the Louisville football program could not make winning plays down the stretch against the Cal, eventually suffering a stunning 29-26 overtime loss this past Saturday night.

Next up, the Cardinals have a short turnaround, and will host Clemson for a primetime weeknight showdown. Kickoff against the Tigers is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Prior to their upcoming matchup, head coach Jeff Brohm, running backs coach Chris Barclay, defensive tackle Jordan Guerad and running back Keyjuan Brown took time to meet with the media. They discussed the previous game vs. Cal, previewed the upcoming game vs. Clemson, and more.

Below is the partial transcript from Brohm's press conference, as well as the videos from Barclay, Guerad and Brown's press conference:

Head Coach Jeff Brohm

Opening Statement

“Ready for a tough football game this Friday night. Great opportunity to play a really good football game. A ton of talent, a lot of history, great coaching. It will be a tough matchup for us. We have to prepare well and go out there to find a way to execute better for all 60 minutes and find a way to win. So it’s a very important game. Why? Because it’s the next game. It’ll be a tough matchup and we’re going to have to play well and do a really good job. We’re excited to get back to work and to move forward and try to win this next game.”

(On Clemson’s defense)

“Exactly that. They look the part. They’re big, they’re fast, they’re athletic, [they’re] talented. Early on, I think they just had a couple busts in what they were doing. I’m sure it was probably just some communication issues, but it looks like they have cleaned most of that up for now. They’re all on the same page, and they’re a really good football team.”

(On what he’s learned watching film from Saturday)

“We can learn a lot from [the loss], without question. We spent all day yesterday doing that and dissecting that, going through that in detail. It was just some small things here and there that we could have done better in all aspects. I could have coached better, we could have been a little more focused on the details of what we’re doing - and those little things cost us. Unfortunately, you lose a game, it’s no fun and you’ve got to regroup, man up and go back to work and figure out a way to win the next one.”

(On Team Toughness)

"I'm sure I probably exaggerated somewhat, cause I was angry about the loss. I think we have a tough football team. Like I said, could we have been a little more focused on some details? Yes. Sometimes when the focus isn't there, we look at ourselves as coaches and say, "Okay we got to simplify this and make it easier. So that we don't lose focus." So, I think it was just the small details as we went back and watched that we could have been better at. In my opinion, in order to win in this league, you got to bring your A game, you got to coach well, got to play well, got to find a way to win. We have lost two games in overtime. We just have to correct some of those things as we see them and proceed forward and try to be aggressive in our approach going forward."

(On small details he wants to correct)

“I think sometimes we had mental busts that cost us. With that, we can simplify some causes to help them not have some mental busts’ that cost us. I think we had some costly penalties that hurt some drives. You go back and say how can we get more points, move the ball, eliminate these penalties, cover better, get after the quarterback better? Every game contains a ton of plays, and we dissected it fully. I think we understand what we could have done better at and what we need to try to improve on and now we have to go do that. Every week is a different opponent, they're going to do different things, and it’s going to be a different game. So, at any time these things can come up, and you just have to be as sharp as you can and be able to adjust when those things are happening.”

(On Clemson not having the season it expected)

“We don’t look at their record, we look at film and talent and they are a very talented team. They know how to play football. I think sometimes when you are punched in the gut early on you refocus and regroup, you can tell they have done that. They have very talented players, NFL prospects in a ton of positions, they have won at a high level in the past and there’s still a lot of season left to play. They can easily finish strong and be right back where they want to, and I’m sure that’s their plan. That wouldn’t shock me because they're a very talented football team and those guys have been there and done that. We are going to have to play well, execute at a high level and be ready to go from play one to the very end.”

(On Duke Watson)

"Well, I thought (Duke Watson) got in there and did a good job. I wouldn't say he is 100 percent, but he came back and he got some reps, which is good and hopefully he will be more ready to go this week."

(On Facing Better Quarterbacks)

"Without question there are, and we are. These last four games, including the last one, will be the four best quarterbacks we play. And when you do that, you have to be really sharp, have to have a good plan. I thought up until the last game, we had really improved on a lot of things and we got exposed to some of that. But, I think that our guys understand what we could have done better in some of those areas. We will work hard to do the best job we can this week; this team will work hard and they play hard. They play tough and play to the end. We have two overtime losses that we could have won. We just have to find a way to get over that hump. There are plenty of more challenges ahead including this one and more beyond. So, we will have to really be dialed in; this is a quarterback with a ton of experience, he's got good weapons, a good offensive line, so yes we will have to be as sharp as we possibly can in the secondary and covering the pass.

Watch: Jeff Brohm, Chris Barclay and Louisville Players Preview Clemson

Head Coach Jeff Brohm

Running Backs Coach Chris Barclay

Defensive Tackle Jordan Guerad and Running Back Keyjuan Brown

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