5 takeaways: Bobby Petrino previews NC State

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino chatted with the media on Monday for his weekly press conference after the Cards' 23-17 loss at Clemson.

NC State comes to town this weekend for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Louisville's already favored in that game by 16.5 points.

Here are five takeaways from Petrino's chat on Monday:

On "The Spike." Petrino started the press conference by taking the fall for the third-and-goal spike that stopped the clock but mystified Louisville fans and observers alike. They had two plays to pick from -- they chose a rollout sprint route for Eli Rogers, but also had a bunch formation play with movement -- and they didn't execute. Petrino said he rewatched the play on film and it kept him up at night. "That was a bad call," he said. "When it doesn't work, and you lose the game, it's a bad call. That's on me."

Tough losses. Louisville's lost two close games this season. The first, at Virginia, came after a furious rally put Louisville in the lead late in the fourth quarter, only to lose the game on a muffed punt and a late UVA field goal. This past loss, Petrino said, was tougher to swallow and it lingers. He explained that the biggest challenge on Sunday and Monday would be important days to rekindle his team's motivation.

Quarterback situation. We won't have any answers just yet about Louisville's plan for a starting quarterback. Petrino said he'd like to talk to Will Gardner and Reggie Bonnafon both before telling the media. "We have a plan," he said. Gardner, in my opinion, gives Louisville more of a downfield passing game. Bonnafon struggled against Clemson, though he wasn't helped by a few bad drops, but Clemson started playing just the run. Louisville can't move the ball as a one-dimensional offense.

Parker's return? Star receiver DeVante Parker ran through team workouts on Sunday and did OK, Petrino said. They will continue the process this week that's similar to last week: He'll practice each day, evaluate how he feels and get treatment. He was too sore to play on Saturday. His return would be a major boost, obviously, for Louisville's offense.

Louisville's defense. "Yeah, they're pretty good," Petrino joked. He said this year's defense is the best he's coached. Keith Kelsey, Louisville's middle linebacker next to James Burgess, said the Cards didn't necessarily consider Clemson the best offense they've faced, but rather that it was the next in a line of opponents they've seen. So we'll say it for Kelsey and the other guys: Clemson was the best offense Louisville's played, and that performance continued Louisville's impressive start.