Louisville football: Cards vs. Clemson game day central

Louisville football looks to continue its hot streak when it hosts Clemson in search of back-to-back top 25 wins.

Louisville football will face easily their biggest challenge of the season on Saturday, coming off a huge win against no. 19 Wake Forest, when the no. 3 Clemson Tigers come to town.

Despite struggles at points throughout the first six games of the season, Dabo Swinney yet again has a team playing at a National Championship caliber level looking to continue on their way to a 12-0 season. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne have combined to become one of the most productive quarterback/running back duos in the country, and are a huge reason why the Tigers boast the nation’s 12th best total offense, averaging nearly 500 yards per game.

Even with the spread looking rather lopsided, Clemson has shown in a few games this year that they aren’t untouchable. No. 12 Texas A&M put up a fight early in the season before falling 24-10, while Mack Brown’s rebuilding North Carolina program was a 2-point conversion away from pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

There’s no doubt that Louisville is under matched in this one, even sitting at 4-2 on the season and possessing a win over a top 25 team. Behind an incredibly athletic and skillful defense and the playmaking of the offense behind Lawrence, Etienne, and the trio of Justyn Ross, Tee Higgins, and Amari Rodgers at wide receiver, Louisville will have a chance to see just how far they’ve come in a short amount and how much further they have to go when it comes to competing for the ACC Title.

Dabo Swinney was beyond complimentary of new head coach Scott Satterfield ahead of this week’s game, saying:

"“Cannot say enough about the job that Scott Satterfield and his staff has done. It’s incredibly obvious to watch the difference in where they are right now and what I saw last year. It’s the polar opposite. Coaching matters and there’s no question about that. It’s a lot of the same guys, but they got them playing with incredible belief. Their effort is tremendous. They have an excellent scheme on both sides of the ball.”"

While that’s all true, Louisville will really have to play at an elite level in all three phases of the game, something they just aren’t quite ready to do with their depth challenges in year one of Satterfield.

Even still, Louisville will show up and compete with everything they have – there’s no doubt in saying that. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the weekend ahead as we have everything you’ll need for Saturday’s game.

Who: Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 3 Clemson Tigers

Where: Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky

When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 19th

Tickets: As low as $24 per Stubhub.com

Spread check: Clemson -24 (According to the Action Network)

ESPN FPI: Clemson 93.4% chance of a win

Uniform Check:

What’s at stake: For Clemson, a win would keep them in the college football playoff race, and squarely in the driver’s seat to win the ACC Atlantic and roll into their fourth college football playoff in five years.

For Louisville, the Cardinals are still in the ACC Atlantic race at 2-1, and a win would put them a half-game back of the Tigers for first place, and a tie-breaker at the end of the season in their favor. The odds of that happening are slim, but we’ve seen teams compete to the finish against Clemson and almost pulling off upsets.

How to watch: ABC

Live stream available on Watch ESPN via your TV provider

How to listen: 790 WKRD AM in Louisville

Players to watch:

Micale Cunningham, Louisville QB

Over the last three games (in which he’s only played 9 quarters) there’s no denying that Micale Cunningham has been a revelation for the Louisville football team. Combining to go 34/51 for 673 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception while rushing for another 107 yards and three touchdowns, it’s easy to see why Louisville has played their best football of the season.

Against Clemson, he’ll face easily his toughest competition yet, and he’ll have to prove not only that he is healthy but two that he’s able to put up big numbers with help from his elite receiving core against one of the top defenses in the country.

It won’t be easy. The secondary for Clemson has been really good this season only allowing 105.3 yards through the air per game, but they will face arguably their biggest challenge yet going against Dez Fitzpatrick, Seth Dawkins, and Tutu Atwell who have combined for 34 receptions, 666 yards, and six touchdowns over the last two weeks against BC and no. 19 Wake Forest.

Can the offensive line keep him upright trying to block one of the fiercest front seven’s? That and establishing the run game will really determine whether or not Cunningham will be able to continue his hot play.

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson QB

Part of the reason for Clemson’s “lackluster” (in Clemson terms) start to the season has been the Sophomore slump of quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

By normal quarterback standards, Lawrence has been solid, but by the standards of a team trying to win three out of four national titles, the Tigers are looking for improvement

Lawrence is passing for 258 yards and 2 scores a game but has coupled that with an interception per game. His play has been less than opportunistic, leading the Tigers to some close victories against teams they should have handled easily.

With nothing to lose on a big-time stage, Louisville football’s defense will try to take advantage of some of Lawrence’s limitations.

Evan Conley, Louisville QB

The true freshman has been incredible the last two weeks in relief of Cunningham. Look for Evan Conley to see reps regardless of the health of Louisville’s starter.

He’s led Louisville on two game-winning drives the last two weeks, and we know he’s not scared of anyone or anything. He’ll provide a new look for the Clemson defense and could ultimately come up big with a few throws.

Travis Etienne, Clemson RB

His 7.0 yards per carry are an ACC best. He only gets 15.5 touches per game, but he has accounted for six touchdowns. He looked to be a Heisman contender in the first few games of the season but has cooled off as of late, but against Louisville, he’ll be looking to put up big numbers.

The Louisville run defense has been good, but they’ve struggled when going up against guys like Cam Akers and AJ Dillon. Look for Clemson to pound the ball to Etienne as well as Lyn-J Dixon in an attempt to try and break off a few plays early to put the game away as quickly as possible.

Javian Hawkins, Louisville RB

Javian Hawkins had his first underwhelming performance of the season against Wake Forest. Look for him to bounce back this week. He’s been one of the top rushers in the ACC this season averaging 5.6 yards per carry thus far on the season, totaling 622 yards and three touchdowns.

Against bigger defensive lines Hawkins has struggled, especially at Florida State. Clemson’s defensive front four and event the front seven are probably the best in the country and it shows in their run defense, as they’ve only given up more than 150 rushing yards twice on the season (Georgia Tech and UNC).

Scott Satterfield will want to try and establish the traditional ground game that we’ve seen all season long, but in order to really get Hawkins going look for them to be tricky and use some new formations.

Isaiah Simmons, Clemson S/ LB

Isaiah Simmons is a guy that has been patiently waiting for his turn on a Clemson team who has used talented depth to win two national titles and appear in another championship game in his time with the program.

Now, he is stepping into a role similar to that of Louisville’s Rodjay Burns, and has been electric. His four sacks and eight tackles for loss lead the way for the Tigers.

He wreaks havoc on opposing defense racking up a total of 51 carries, including 33 solo, and four sacks, blowing up plays in both the running and passing game.

Clemson is going to use Simmons to keep an eye on Cunningham to keep him from hurting the Tigers with his legs while leading the way in stopping the powerful attack of Hawkins and Hassan Hall on the ground.

Matchup to watch: Clemson Kick Coverage vs. Hassan Hall

Last week we saw just how dangerous running back/ kick off returning extraordinaire, Hassan Hall can be on special teams. Not only did Hall break open the game for Louisville early on with a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, but he followed up with a run of 83 yards that he was a tackle away from taking to the house.

If Louisville is going to have any chance (no matter how slim it may appear) they are going to need to have a couple of breaks go their way. That can be by way of turnovers, penalty flags, or big plays on defense or special teams.

Clemson has been prone to turnovers this season, but where Louisville can really take advantage is in the kicking game. We know the Tigers are going to put points up on the board, which means more kickoffs, which could lead to Hassan Hall breaking off another big return just like he did last season.

Predictions

Presley Meyer: Clemson 42, Louisville 28

Jacob Lane: Clemson 48, Louisville 31