Louisville football: How to watch, predictions, key match-ups vs Wake Forest
Louisville football hits the road to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this Saturday. How to watch and listen, and players to watch.
A lot is on the line this Saturday when Louisville football travels to Winston Salem, North Carolina to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Cards are coming off of a big-time victory at home against Boston College, and now look to win their first-ever ACC road game against a ranked opponent. In order to do so, they will have to improve on a defensive performance that nearly derailed one of its most complete offensive performances in the last few seasons.
Since the Wakey Leaks game, the Cards’ match-ups against the Demon Deacons have been far more dramatic than one would have thought when Louisville entered the ACC, and Wake head coach Dave Clawson figures to have a few tricks up his sleeves.
The Cards were favored in last year’s match-up but were pummelled by the Deacs in a humiliating 21-point home loss that officially sent the Bobby Petrino era off the rails.
Scott Satterfield and the new Louisville coaching staff are looking to notch one of the biggest wins in Satterfield’s coaching career.
Clawson is 0-6 coming off of bye weeks since taking over as Wake’s head coach, but after losing a ton of its playmakers from 2018, Wake Forest has not only rebuilt but come back stronger in 2019. With one of the best teams in school history in tow and one of the best passing offenses in the country, Clawson and Wake are looking to break that odd bye week streak and become the first team in the ACC to become bowl eligible (or second, depending on the outcome of Clemson- FSU at 3:30).
Who: Louisville Cardinals vs No. 17/19 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Where: BB&T Field, Winston Salem, North Carolina
When: Saturday, October 12th at 7:30 PM
Spread check: Wake Forest -6.5
Uniform report:
Week 6 Combo:
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) October 10, 2019
⚫️
⚪️
⚫️#BeatWake | #GoCards pic.twitter.com/EeQAGYOrrS
Weather: 81 and partly sunny at kick-off with temperatures cooling into the night
How to Watch: ACC Network
This game will be Louisville’s first football game on the ACC Network.
DirecTV- 612
Dish Network- 402
Spectrum- 937
AT&T UVerse- 610
You can also find the game on WatchESPN using your TV provider log-in
How to listen: WHAS 840 AM
Players to Watch:
Javian Hawkins, Louisville RB
Louisville’s redshirt freshman running back has quietly gotten off to the best start since the Cardinals’ last 1,000-yard rusher at running back, Bilal Powell. Hawkins’ 172 yards in Louisville’s last game against Boston College put him at 562 yards on the season on only 91 carries.
Hawkins’ 6.2 yards per carry are only shy of Clemson’s Travis Etienne, and he sits third in the conference in rushing yards just behind Boston College’s AJ Dillon and Florida State’s Cam Akers.
Hawkins figures to continue his excellent play on the ground against a Wake Forest rush defense allowing 147 yards per game.
Jamie Newman, Wake Forest QB
Wake Forest’s entire offense is predicated around quarterback Jamie Newman and his versatility. Newman has accounted for 1,521 yards through the air and 14 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions.
Newman has a great arm and will test the Cardinals deep as often as possible. He is also a serious threat with his legs and helps Wake execute a unique read-option offense where the Deacons will make defenders pay for lack of gap discipline. You will see Newman and running back Kenneth Walker wait for a full three to four seconds before deciding on what to do with the football.
A terrific supporting cast out wide makes Wake’s offense a bear to defend.
Match-up to watch: Wake Forest passing offense vs Louisville secondary
If the Cards are going to pull out the victory, Louisville must find a way to improve on its defensive performance against Boston College. The Cards looked stout in the secondary in the first two weeks of the season, but against Western Kentucky, Florida State, and BC, there were multiple miscommunications that led to receivers getting wide open.
Wake Forest doesn’t need guys getting wide open to make secondaries look bad. Deacons receivers Sage Surratt and Scotty Washington are two of the top receivers in the ACC, and they both specialize in catching the jump ball. They have combined for nearly 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns in Wake’s air attack, and given the chance, they can expose even the best secondary.
Louisville has to be able to get pressure on Newman, who is only sacked 1.5 times per game thus far. Otherwise, it leaves their corners vulnerable in one-on-one situations.