Week 8 Look Ahead: Louisville-NC State

Louisville left Clemson with conflicted feelings.

First, and most likely foremost, the Cardinals felt like they'd let a big road win slip away in the waning moments of the game. No one can blame them for that -- they had first-and-goal from the Clemson 8-yard line with about a minute to go and didn't score. It's painful for Louisville to think it's probably one cleanly fielded punt and one converted red-zone possession away from being 7-0.

Second, and this is surely just a consolation prize at this point, Louisville found out just how good its defense is and how far off it is from a blueblood like Clemson. The short answer is: They aren't far apart at all. The longer answer must account for the absence of Clemson's star QB, Deshaun Watson, but he didn't have much success against Louisville when he was on the field.

Now Louisville (5-2, 3-2 in the ACC) turns back to its home field for the next two games. The Cards face a rambunctious NC State (4-3) that is far better than it was last season, even if the Wolfpack's lost three in a row.

Here are four things to monitor this week ahead of Louisville's homecoming game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday:

Is Gardner the guy again? After Saturday's relief appearance, you'd have to think Will Gardner won back the starting quarterback position. He gives Louisville a little bit more of a vertical passing attack with his arm, and if the offensive line holds up like it did Saturday -- no, the O-line wasn't close to perfect, but it did its job for the most part -- Gardner can probably string together some solid performances. If DeVante Parker comes back this week, that's just an added plus for a Gardner return.

Defense still rolling. A lot of neutral observers wanted to see Louisville play a top-level offense before deciding how legitimate some of those early-season defensive numbers truly were. I think Saturday's game answered those questions, especially when Watson was still playing. Through seven games, Louisville's No. 1 in the nation in rushing and total defense. The Cards are third in scoring D, sixth in takeaways and 11th in passing defense. NC State can light it up when it's playing well, so this will be another good challenge for Louisville.

Can Parker play? Louisville could've used DeVante Parker on that final series at Clemson. His 6-foot-3, 208-pound frame -- and reliability in the red zone -- would've made him a likely target for at least one or two passes in that final minute. Parker and Louisville's medical staff on Thursday night decided he wasn't ready to play after practicing for the first time since fracturing his foot. His body was sore from the return to actual football. If he can go against NC State, Louisville's second half of the season, especially on offense, looks a lot different.