ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said during the broadcast of Clemson’s 42-36 victory over Louisville on Saturday that Cardinals’ head coach Bobby Petrino said the noise was not going to be an issue for his offense.
He said they were used to playing in loud venues and they would use hand signals and other techniques to counter the noise of the large crowd in Clemson’s Death Valley.
Petrino was wrong.
The noise from the 83,362 fans in attendance played a major role in the Tigers’ win, and you can say helped secure the win.
Trailing with 40 seconds left in the game, and needing a touchdown to win the game, Louisville (4-1, 2-1 ACC) found itself facing a fourth-and-seven from the Clemson nine-yard line.