By Will Vandervort.
Here is a look at all the top matchups for today’s Louisville at No. 25 Clemson game, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Clemson’s receivers vs. the Louisville secondary: This is the most aggressive secondary Clemson has played. They will attack downhill. Their safeties really want to be involved and they are very physical. Because of their aggressiveness and their physical nature, the Cardinals lead the country in interceptions with 12. Clemson’s young wide receivers have been very productive, especially in the last two games. Mike Williams and Artavis Scott have emerged as playmakers, while Germone Hopper is starting to show he can be someone to reckon with as well. Advantage: Louisville
Louisville’s offensive line vs. Clemson’s defensive line: Led by defensive end Vic Beasley and his ACC leading seven sacks, the Clemson defensive front is one of the best in college football. The Tigers are also among the best in the country in tackles for loss with 41. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ranks fifth on the team in tackles with 24. Louisville’s offensive line has plenty of experience and can and will be physical at times, but the Cardinals are an average-at-best run team despite their emphasis on running the football, while they have allowed 19 sacks – 13th in the ACC. The Tigers are sacking the quarterback 3.2 times a game. Louisville is allowing 3.1 per game. Advantage: Clemson
Clemson’s O-line vs. Louisville’s defensive front: The Cardinals play a 3-4 scheme and they will blitz linebackers Keith Kelsey and Lorenzo Mauldin. Kelsey leads the team with 37 tackles as well as four sacks. He has 16 career sacks overall. Louisville, as a team, has 21 sacks, which ranks third in the ACC at a rate of 3.5 per game. Clemson is down two offensive linemen this week as reserve center Jay Guillermo is out with a broken foot, while reserve right tackle Joe Gore is out following an appendectomy procedure the Wednesday before the NC State game. That means Clemson will head into the game with only six players on the O-line. Reid Webster, who will start at right guard, will also be the backup at center, left tackle and right tackle. Louisville leads the nation in run defense, allowing just 58.3 yards per game. Advantage: Louisville
Deshaun Watson vs. Gerod Holliman: This might be the best matchup of the day. Watson is second nationally in passing efficiency at 197.9, while Louisville’s Holliman leads the nation in interceptions. The Cardinals safety also has 18 tackles this year and has caused a fumble. Watson will have to be careful and watch where the sneaky Holliman is at on the field. Watson has thrown 12 touchdowns this season to one interception. Advantage: Even
Clemson’s running game vs. Louisville’s run defense: The Tigers finally got things going on the ground last week as they took advantage of NC State’s zone coverages and ran the ball with pretty good effectiveness. Deshaun Watson led the Tigers with 62 yards as offensive coordinator Chad Morris ran the quarterback power as well some of the read options with the freshman. Making his first start, Wayne Gallman was also productive as was true freshman Adam Choice. As mentioned the Cardinals lead the nation, allowing just 58. 3 yards per game on the ground and 2.0 yards per carry. Like any 3-4 scheme, they ask their down linemen to get in the way and take up space up front, allowing their linebackers to flow to the football and make plays. Advantage: Louisville
Bottom line: This is going to be a physical game and is going to be a lot closer than many Clemson fans expect. Louisville is a good football team that will challenge the Tigers and its defense, which has a lot of talent and will cause some issues for the Clemson offense. This will be an opportunity to see just how special Deshaun Watson is and see how he leads this offense against a formidable opponent. I believe the game will be a defensive struggle, but in the end, Clemson’s defense is better than Louisville’s offense and after the Cardinals’ defense and the Tigers’ offense cancel each other, Mr. Beasley and company will be the difference in the game.
Prediction: Clemson 24, Louisville 10