The football team gave up 608 yards during Saturday’s game against Clemson. And Louisville, N.C. State’s opponent this upcoming Saturday, has compiled more than 1,000 yards over the past two games — both losses.

So when asked if he felt the offense needed to score 30 points to compete against Louisville, coach Tom O’Brien said most games like this end up being “a 10-9 game or something.”

After a short response from the reporter, who jokingly disagreed with his assessment, O’Brien cracked a smile.

“I don’t think so either,” O’Brien said. “OK, you shot that one down. I hope it doesn’t get into a scoring race, but as long as we’ve got one more than they do, that’s all that matters.”

Even though Louisville has scored 73, 58, 34 and 35 in its four games this season, the team has lost its previous two games — against Kentucky and Syracuse.

But O’Brien doesn’t know if he sees that as an advantage.

“They’re probably upset and going to come in here and make a statement,” O’Brien said. “But then, we ought to feel the same way. I don’t believe anything good comes out of a loss. So maybe they’ll still be confused. Who knows? Play it on Saturday — we’ll find out at 3:30.”

Redshirt junior safety DaJuan Morgan said the defense is excited about going against Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm.

“This week it’s a better opportunity for our DBs to get our hands on balls,” Morgan said. “I know we’re going to be challenged this week — he’s going to go deep on us, so it’s going to be a challenge.”

Despite the 1-3 start, O’Brien said he believes the team’s discipline has been better this season — concerning penalties and off-the-field activities.

“Are we better off the field, going to class and doing things were supposed to be doing?” O’Brien said. “Absolutely.”

Asked if the team still had issues with overconfidence, O’Brien and the media shared a laugh.

“No, I don’t think so,” O’Brien said with a smile. “I think that went by the wayside real quickly here.”