Brian VanGorder makes for an inconvenient scapegoat.

The University of Louisville’s defensive coordinator oversees a unit of historic ineptitude. Saturday’s 77-16 thumping at Clemson was U of L’s most lopsided loss since 1941 and marked the third time in four weeks that opponents had scored at least 56 points against the Cardinals.

“The secondary has played serviceably in coverage,” former U of L captain Jake Smith said Monday. “But teams don’t need to throw the ball because we’re so bad in the front seven. Guys look lost out there.”

Yet as lost as U of L has looked on defense — 124th in points allowed, 115th in total defense and yielding a school-record 6.8 yards per play — the structure of VanGorder’s contract makes it $1.1 million more expensive to replace him in midseason than it would be to wait for the more comprehensive housecleaning expected at season’s end.

A deeper look:By the Numbers: Behind Louisville's blowout loss to Clemson

The three-year deal VanGorder signed on Aug. 22 — nearly seven months after his hiring was announced — provides for a base salary of $950,000 and up to 18 months of compensation if he is terminated independent of a change in head coaches before January 2021.

But if VanGorder were let go within six months of head coach Bobby Petrino leaving U of L for any reason, his severance package is reduced from 18 months’ base salary ($1.425 million) to 120 days' (roughly $312,000). With the athletic department’s cash position significantly depleted by Tom Jurich’s settlement and Chris Mack’s buyout at Xavier, the cost of replacing VanGorder in midseason might be prohibitive.

"Assistant coaches are generally tied to the head coach," U of L athletic director Vince Tyra explained. "So having two different clauses for termination without cause is not uncommon — one being linked to the change of a head coach."

The universities of Oklahoma and Minnesota have both replaced their defensive coordinators this fall. Kansas coach David Beaty fired offensive coordinator Doug Meacham last month, less than four weeks before his own dismissal. And though Petrino has expressed a reluctance to make changes to his coaching staff in midseason, Smith questions the caliber of coaching the Cardinals have been getting.

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“Most (former players) I’ve spoken to — 10 or 15 guys — have said this is a poorly coached team,” said Smith, an offensive lineman who captained Petrino’s 2014 team. “It’s kind of a consensus. We have good players. We have good-looking players. (But) they don’t use their hands. For a defensive lineman, you’re not going to stop an offensive lineman unless you get your hands in his chest.”

Smith, a four-year starter at U of L, made pointed criticisms of the current team last month on the condition of anonymity. But after watching the Clemson debacle, he agreed to share his frustrations for the record.

“Pursuit is an issue, and pursuit is coachable,” he said. “I have a hard time speaking to the technique of a corner. But you don’t have a hard time watching effort. It’s just obvious that coaching could be better.”

Specifically, Smith finds fault with the play of the front seven — the defensive line and linebackers — two units coached by Petrino’s sons-in-law, L.D. Scott and Ryan Beard.

“The technique in the front seven is why Clemson, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Wake Forest are able to run all over us and why our sack numbers are so poor,” Smith said. “The run fits at linebacker were atrocious.’’

By “run fit,” Smith refers to a linebacker’s reading of the offensive line to determine what gap to fill to make a play or force a runner into the teeth of the defense.

Looking back:Analysis: Takeaways from Louisville's blowout loss to Clemson

“Our run fits are routinely bad, which is why you see runners routinely get to the secondary,” he said. “That long touchdown up the home sideline that (Matt) Colburn from Wake Forest had on us is a perfect example.”

Smith said Clemson was able to average better than 13 yards per rushing play because of the lack of gap integrity from the defensive line, which he blamed in part on “non-existent hand technique.”

With three games to go, it may be too late to expect improvement. And, at least financially, too soon to change defensive coordinators.

Tim Sullivan: 502-582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @TimSullivan714. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tims.