Upon Review: On play calling without Parker
It's no secret or great revelation that Louisville misses its best offensive player, DeVante Parker.
The senior receiver, considered a potential first-round NFL draft pick next spring, would give Louisville the in-a-pinch option the Cardinals so desperately need. He's big, physical and fast, with big-play ability and a reliability that no other receiving options on the roster provide.
With Parker still working his way back from a fractured bone in his foot, Louisville's passing offense has sputtered.
"Does anybody have a crystal ball?" Louisville coach Bobby Petrino joked when asked what kind of impact the healing Parker would have on his team's offense.
"If I did ... You don't know ... He's a tremendous player. We've all seen that. We've all seen the plays he can make, but you just don't know."
Take, for instance, this third-down play call from Louisville's own 10-yard line. Freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon missed the cornerback blitz from his blind side, which ended with a strip sack. Clemson fell on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
Now, you could wonder why Louisville called a deep pass play in which only one of three receiving options ran a route shorter than 15 yards, especially when its quarterback was 4 of 11 for 58 yards and Clemson's pass rush was already fully effective.
You could also wonder if Parker's presence would change how Clemson defended the situation.
It's interesting to see how well Clemson has this play covered when it doesn't have to consider Parker in coverage. Both outside receivers are in one-on-one coverage. One linebacker's watching Bonnafon, who is a threat to run. And two defenders are covering James Quick, Louisville's No. 1 receiver with Parker sidelined.
If Parker's playing, Clemson has to spend two defenders on him in that situation (and all the other situations). That takes one defender away from either the blitz, which sent six guys, or from Quick's route in the middle. Bonnafon still has to make the throw, and someone still has to get open, but it's impossible not to wonder how Parker's presence would impact situations like this, no matter the play call.
In Louisville's spring game, Parker's influence went far beyond his catches. He drew multiple defenders and even more eyes, which allowed Quick, slot man Eli Rogers and tight end Gerald Christian to get open often.
Quarterback Will Gardner looked flawless in that scrimmage. He completed 32 of his 37 passes. Quick caught five for 152 yards and a touchdown. Christian caught eight passes for 126 yards. Eli Rogers grabbed six for 109.
Everyone raved about Petrino's offense and its vertical passing game.
Everyone knew Parker was a key cog in that operation. Perhaps none of us knew just how key he is.
Take Parker away, and you get Louisville's current offense. Opponents stack the line of scrimmage and dare Louisville to pass downfield.
Louisville's offense ranks 74th in the nation in passing, 94th in third-down conversions and 61st in pass plays of 10 or more yards.
The Cardinals average seven yards per pass attempt, a number that ranks 68th in the country. It is the lowest average for a Petrino-coached team since his 2008 Arkansas squad, which finished 5-7 and was the only losing season he's ever had as a head coach.
"Offensively, we're really struggling," Petrino said. "We're struggling to block the front. We're struggling to get open and with the timing in our passing game."
Saturday's loss at Clemson only deepened Louisville's need for Parker. Aside from James Quick's 73-yard catch and run late in the fourth quarter, a play that broke loose when Clemson's safety who came down to tackle Quick slipped and fell and opened up a huge field for Quick, Louisville had just five other receptions go for eight or more yards.
Parker last season caught 55 passes at a 16.1-yards-per-reception clip, and 21 of those catches went for 15 or more yards.
But everyone already knew how important Parker was to Louisville's offense. Maybe we just didn't know the extent of it.