Quick thoughts from Petrino's weekly presser

Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino addressed the media at his weekly press conference on Monday, and he had several big news items to announce.

He reviewed Louisville's 28-6 win over Syracuse last Friday and looked ahead to Clemson. The teams kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Clemson's Memorial Stadium.

1. Not explosive. Petrino seemed to resign to something several fans have mentioned in recent weeks: "We're not explosive" on offense, Petrino said. "We're not a team that's going to go out and rack up 700 yards." Petrino admitted that feeling was new to him. But right now, he's happy that his team is grinding out wins. Louisville's 5-1, about as close to where it wanted to be at this juncture in the season as it could be. The Cards' defense and running game, Petrino said, can carry the team.

2. Defense shines again. Petrino was effusive yet again in his praise of Louisville's defense, which, statistically, is one of the top two or three defenses in the country. The Cards have their toughest game of the year against Clemson. "We have a great challenge ahead of us," Petrino said. The biggest test, to me, is dual-threat QB Deshaun Watson. He was the ACC offensive back of the week, and his arm and legs present a stern athletic opponent for Louisville's fast, physical defense.

3. Gardner/Bonnafon questions. Petrino clarified his comments on quarterback Will Gardner (knee) after saying he was available in Friday's game against Syracuse. He was oddly cryptic in saying he didn't consider putting Gardner in the game after saying he was available. On Monday, Petrino said he meant that Gardner was available as an emergency quarterback, but they didn't plan to play him unless they needed to. What he didn't say, though, was whether Gardner or freshman QB Reggie Bonnafon would start against Clemson. They'd like to see how Gardner does with a full week of practice.

4. Parker's back. Star receiver DeVante Parker plans to play in Saturday's game, and that's a huge boon for Louisville's offense. He is physical and fast and a monster after the catch. He is widely considered a potential first-round draft pick next spring, and his presence gives Louisville offense an "X-factor," running back Brandon Radcliff said.

5. Parity on display. Petrino did follow Saturday's wild run of college games, and his takeaway was rather simple. There's a lot of parity in college football right now. Every game is tough, he said. That much was evident with Louisville's trips to Virginia and Syracuse.