How Stanquan Clark's Injury Impacts Louisville

In football, injuries are all but a certainly given the violent nature of the game. For Louisville, it took just two games for them to be dealt their first major injury setback.

Standout linebacker Stanquan Clark is now "expected to be out a while," with the belief that he might not be able to return to action until "well into October." He suffered a broken right ankle in the Cardinals' 28-14 win over James Madison this past Friday night.

There'e no doubt that losing a player of Clark's caliber is a massive blow to UofL's defense. Last season, his 76 overall tackles and eight tackles for loss were both second on the team to T.J. Quinn. He also caught two interceptions, forced two fumbles, and tallied two pass breakups.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound inside backer was off to a good start to his junior season prior to his injury. While he had just one tackle in one half of work in the season-opener against Eastern Kentucky, Clark finished the matchup against James Madison with six total tackles - including three for loss.

With Clark now expected to be sideline for potentially up to two months, how does his absence impact Louisville and their defensive capabilities?

For starters, Clark is an incredibly versatile athlete. Not just in terms of his pure athleticism, but in his ability to play against the run and the pass at a high level.

Last season, his 38 "stops" was 11th amongst ACC linebackers. This is a tackle that gains 50 percent or less of the yards needed on first down, 70 percent on second down, and 100 percent on third and fourth down. Essentially, Clark was very good at not letting opposing offenses be on schedule when running the ball.

He was also by far and away the best cover linebacker on a position group that was less than stellar in this department last season. Of the 108 FBS linebackers with at least 300 coverage snaps last season, his 192 passing yards allowed as the closest defender was the 19th-fewest amongst this group.

Whoever steps up into the starting lineup in place of Clark obviously has big shoes to fill. But which linebacker will get that designation? That will mostly likely be Tennesse transfer Kalib Perry, as he has the most overall college experience amongst the backup linebackers.

While he had just four career starts at UT, Perry was still a valuable asset as the Volunteers' go-to reserve inside linebacker, and is off to a good start to his final season in college. Over 37 games played in Knoxville, he collected 69 tackles, three for loss and a forced fumble. So far this season, he's collected eight tackles (six solo) over the first two games.

Perry is a fairly fundamental tackler, and for the most part does well when it comes to reading and reacting both against the run and the pass. While Perry had to miss most of fall camp due to a hand injury, he flashed some things in spring ball that he had done during his time at Tennessee.

While Perry will likely take over as the starter while Clark is on the mend, don't be surprised if T.J. Capers earns that role. Even if he doesn't, his role on this defense will take a bigger step forward than it already did.

We all know about Capers' five-star pedigree coming out of high-school, although he hasn't been able to showcase much of that during his first two years in college due to various injuries. It also took a little extra time for him to mature after reclassifying and moving up a year to enroll early at Louisville.

That being said, Capers is now fully healthy, and in a much better spot in terms of his overall maturity. As a result, he could be in line to finally have the breakout season he is capable of. While he's taken defensive snaps in just five career games, he's really flashed some great things in terms of both his athleticism and his instincts. Now that he is set to take on a much a bigger role than expected, his five-star background has a chance to flourish.

As far as others at the position go, they will likely have to do a lot of growing up in a short amount of time. Trent Carter has made a handful of plays in spring ball and fall camp since he arrived on campus last year, and the same can be said for true freshmen Caleb Matelau and Cameron White.

However, practice reps are a lot different than in-game reps. It's one thing to go up against the backup and third-string units in a controlled environment. But when live bullets are fired, and you're going up against another team's best unit, that's a different ballgame. Whether it's int he film room, the weight room or the practice fields, these three might have to have their development accerated in case of an emergency.

While on the subject of development, I have to mention T.J. Quinn. Sure, he's a multi-year starter who has led the team in tackles in back-to-back seasons, and his 14 tackles so far this season is tied with Clev Lubin for most on the team. As far as defending the run goes, Quinn might be the best asset the Louisville defense has.

However, it's long been established that for as good as Quinn is against the run, he has left a lot to be desired at times when it comes to coverage. Far too often, he's caught himself being out of position, taking a wrong angle when dropping back, or simply making the wrong read while sitting in his zone.

There's no doubt that whoever starts in place of Clark, whether that's Perry or Capers, will have big shoes to fill. But on top of that, in order to try and have a rebound year from the linebacking corps in terms of defending the middle of the field against the pass - which is something that this group struggled with in 2024 - Quinn must take meaningful steps forward in pass coverage.

Overall, considering what Clark brings to the table, simply having one player step up and expect him to replicate this production is likely not going to happen (unless Clark gets Wally Pipp'd). Instead, the rest of the linebacking corps will have to collectively take a step forward while Clark is sidelined, They do that, and this group as a whole will only be better - especially when Clark returns.