Clemson hits he road for a third time in the ACC as the second-ranked Tigers visit Louisville Saturday at noon from Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.
The Cardinals are a much-improved team under new head coach Scott Satterfield. They have won four of the last five games after winning just two games last season. They ranked third in the ACC in scoring (37.3 pts/game), rushing offense (227.0 yds/game) and total offense (489.0 yds/game).
Game Information
Where: Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
Records: Clemson 6-0, 4-0 ACC; Louisville 4-2, 2-1 ACC
When: Saturday, Noon
TV: ABC (Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams)
Radio: Clemson Tigers Network (Don Munson, C.J. Spiller, Tim Bourret, Reggie Merriweather). SiriusXM 81.
Latest Line: Clemson minus-24 points
Series History
- OVERALL: Clemson leads 5-0
- HOME: Florida State leads 3-0
- ROAD: Florida State leads 2-0
- NEUTRAL: N/A
- LAST MEETING: Nov. 3, 2018 (77-16, Clemson)
- STREAK: Clemson, Won 5
Three story lines
Despite dropping to No. 3 in the AP Poll following a 31-point conference victory a week ago, Clemson enters this week as the only team in the country with five wins against Power Five conference opponents this season. Clemson won those five Power Five games by an average of 23.8 points, including three victories by 31 points or more. Clemson will attempt to once again be at its best in the face of public doubt this week, as the Tigers have won 14 consecutive games when playing at a lower AP ranking than in their previous contest.
This week’s game will feature two of the ACC’s most prolific offenses thus far in 2019. Clemson enters the game ranked second in the conference in scoring offense (39.2), rushing offense (238.8) and total offense (497.0); Louisville enters the contest ranked third in all of those categories.
The quarterback combination of Micale Cunningham and Evan Conley have combined to throw for 1,242 yards and 11 touchdowns this season for Louisville, while tossing only two interceptions. The duo has combined to complete 66.0 percent of their throws through the first six games. They will both play against the Tigers on Saturday.
Louisville’s three players to watch
Hassan Hall, RB: Hall returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown—the second one of his career—in the first quarter in last week’s win at Wake Forest. The Atlanta, Ga., native totaled 220 yards on kickoff returns in the win, averaging 55.0 yards a return. He had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Clemson last year.
Dex Fitzpatrick, WR: Fitzpatrick recorded his third straight 100-yard receiving game last week with five catches for 125 yards and two scores, becoming the first wide receiver at Louisville since DeVante Parker to record three straight 100-yard games. He has 21 catches for 408 yards and 5 touchdowns already this season.
Javian Hawkins, RB: Hawkins ranks second in the ACC, averaging 103.7 yards per game on the ground. He is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and his 622 yards also ranked second in the conference. He has scored 3 rushing touchdowns this year.
Prediction:
Though Louisville is much improved on offense, the Cardinals have not played as well on the defensive side of the ball. They rank 12th in the ACC in points allowed per game at 31.5 and are 12th in the conference in yards allowed at 434.7. Though they scored 62 points at Wake Forest last week, they also gave up 59. Look for the Tigers’ offense to continue where it left off against Florida State last week. The Cardinals might get their points, but Clemson will too.
Score prediction: Clemson 45, Louisville 20
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