Pre-Clemson Q&A with U of L coach Bobby Petrino

Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino spoke with the media on Thursday two days before his team kicks off at 3:30 p.m. at Clemson.

Here's the full Q&A from his short, post-practice update:

Opening statement: I'm excited about the week we had. The guys worked extremely hard. The attitude's been great. Obviously we know we're going on the road and have a big challenge ahead of us. I've been happy with our preparation, so now we have to go out and play well.

On Louisville's starting QB: Who's our starter? That's something I'm going to keep between me and (offensive coordinator Garrick McGee) and everyone else. Both guys have had good weeks of practice. Will's 100-percent healthy and ready to go. Reggie continues to get better and more comfortable. I'm excited about both of them.

Do the QBs know who is starting? I'm not telling you, no.

On WR DeVante Parker: He had a good day Tuesday, but he has gotten sore. We just have to see how he does the next two days. He practiced, but we have to see how he reacts to it. That's the big thing. And when you're off for that long, besides the foot, it's all the other things that go on when you haven't practiced – changing direction, elevating, all those things. We just have to wait and see.

On Clemson's pass rush: They've got a great pass rusher. Individually, (Vic Beasley's) skills are very, very good. He's quick. He's long. He understands the pass sets. They give him a lot of freedom so he can basically do whatever he wants. They have a good inside pass rusher who can read sets, and they give him a lot of freedom, too. They're good at that. They've done a good job with their coverage and not giving you a long clock, like our defense. Like Sheldon Rankins said last night at my radio show, there's a lot more that goes into a sack than just one rusher. It's how the pressure goes inside, how the linebackers cover, how the corners cover. They've been able to have a good combination of everything.

On running well vs. Clemson: We've got to be able to run the ball. We have to be able to establish good balance on first down and be able to be successful. That's one of the things that's not allowed us to be consistent – the negative plays. If we can just go forward every play and not have the sacks or the lost yardage, then I think we have a chance to get to third-and-short and have some success.

On starting fast: I'm not sure you're going to take the crowd out of it. It's a big, loud place. We just have to focus on our job. Mentally, you have to take the crowd out by being able to focus and concentrate.

On setting off a Clemson fan firestorm for Carrier Dome comments: There was a lot lost in translation. It's a loud place. We've played in loud places. Every place we go is going to be loud. Obviously they think this is the loudest. That's a credit to their fan base. When you go on the road and play, you have to deal with the noise. That's just a fact. That's all I really meant to say.

On this week of practice: That's what the focus and preparation and effort started on Tuesday and carried over into Wednesday, and then our guys went out today and had great attitudes, great focus. We had three good days of preparation.