It’s a clash of ranked foes when the (2) Clemson Tigers claw their way into Papa Johns Stadium to get down with the (14) Louisville Cardinals. The battle is scheduled to start on Saturday, September 16th at 3:30 p.m. EST and can be seen on ABC. Heading into this exciting match-up, the Tigers are field goal favorite. The game’s total has shrunk a bit from 59.5 to 56.
Clemson found a way to stay unbeaten when they toppled the Tigers from Auburn to the tune of 14-6. The Tigers certainly weren’t spectacular but kept Auburn’s offense in check and allowed their offense to do just enough to get the victory.
The Cardinals now sit at 2-0 after they picked up their first conference win over the North Carolina Tar Heels 47-35. They also survived a prime time match-up against the Purdue Boilermakers for their first win of the year.
Coming into this gridiron dispute, the Tigers have won all three meetings between the schools by a total of 15 points. Including a thrilling 42-36 home win over Lamar Jackson on October 1st of last year.
(2) Clemson Tigers (2-0)
The Tigers relied on their stout defense to get the win as they kept the Auburn Tigers from scoring any touchdowns. Overall, Clemson’s defense recorded an amazing 11 sacks in the affair. That helped make up for a 32:25 to 27:35 disadvantage in time of possession and also the fact that Clemson turned the pigskin over on two separate occasions.
After week two, the Tigers currently stand 53rd in the nation in passing offense with 248.5 yards per contest. They also are tied for 35th racking up nearly 230 yards per game on the ground. Lastly, Clemson is also tied for 50th in scoring averaging 35 points per match.
Quarterback Kelly Bryant, who won the starting job with the departure of Deshaun Watson. As of this article, he has thrown the ball for 417 yards while completing 33 of 51 throws with one touchdown and one pick. He also moves the ball well with his legs, collecting a team-high 136 yards and three more trips to the end zone.
It’s been running back attack by committee when Dabo Sweeny decides to hand the ball off during offensive drives. Travis Etienne, Tavien Feaster and C.J. Fuller all share in the work load. Altogether, the trio has combined for 235 yards on 28 carries and four trips to the promised land. Throw in Kelly Bryant’s production and one can see why Clemson is giving team’s front seven fits.
In the receiving department, Hunter Renfrow and Ray-Ray McCloud have done quite nicely. Renfrow leads the unit with 11 catches that are good for 78 yards. In a secondary roll, McCloud has caught nine balls for a team-high 105 yards. Unfortunately, on Deon Cain has recorded a touchdown reception.
Clemson’s defense now stands 5th in the country allowing a meager 4.5 points per game. Obviously, Lamar Jackson will do some damage to those stats before the day is through. I think it’s pretty clear that their front seven may be one of the best in the nation. The 11 sacks against Auburn is testament to that.
(14) Louisville Cardinals (2-0)
Over on the Cardinals’ side, they’re currently 2-0 as well. In their last victory over North Carolina, quarterback Lamar Jackson was at his best once again. He tossed the ball for almost 400 yards while running it for another 132. Overall, he was responsible for six of the offenses’ touchdowns in the contest.
Furthermore, he’s making defense of the Heisman Trophy look pretty damn easy. So far, he has already amassed 771 yards of passing with five touchdowns and no interceptions. The dual-threat machine also has recorded a team-high 239 yards rushing and three scores on 40 carries. This match-up against Clemson will truly be his toughest test of 2017.
For the record, the Cardinals are 10th in the nation in passing offense with 385.5 yards per contest while ranking 33rd in rushing offense with 229 yards a game. Louisville is also tied for 31st in scoring offense with 41 points a night.
Running backs Malik Williams and Reggie Bonnafon do contribute to the Lamar Jackson show. Williams has toted the rock 13 times for 149 yards. Bonnafon, his partner-in-crime, has recorded 16 carries for another 55 yards and a touchdown.
It sure looks like Louisville has fully reloaded at the wide receiver position heading into this match-up against the Tigers. Wide out Jaylen Smith has reeled in a team high 17 passes for 300 yards plus a score while Dez Fitzpatrick has eight grabs for 173 yards and three more touchdowns. Also, receiver Seth Dawkins makes a nice third choice. He has seven catches for over 100 yards as well.
Defensively is where all the problems seem to lie for the Louisville Cardinals. The stats speak for themselves. In two contests, Louisville is tied for 97th in scoring defense with 31.5 points allowed per contest and 123rd against the pass. Now, when your allowing schools to throw for 338.5 yards per contest, you’ve got some issues. Things won’t get any easier when the Cardinals face the Tigers’ passing attack.
Prediction
A lot of eyes will be focused on both Clemson and Louisville as they battle it out for what could be the ACC title. The Tigers showed off their offense in the opener, then relied on defense against Auburn. Honestly, both looked capable when the game plan called for their performance.
Louisville’s defense hasn’t impressed anybody so far as the Tar Heels once again had their way with the secondary. Now, a pair of talented Clemson wide outs will get to tee off on Saturday. Thank goodness that Lamar Jackson is doing just about everything to put enough points up to win the shoot-outs.
Line setters have this game’s line at -3 for the Tigers. I completely see why they are coming to that conclusion. First, Clemson is on the road or that very well could be five or six. Also, they have proven to be better on the defensive side of things. That bodes well for a team on the road. Even still, I’m staying away from the line here.
Instead, I’m going to place my money on the fact that Lamar Jackson can at least put up points in the low 20’s at home here. With that kind of output from Louisville’s offense, the Tigers should easily score enough to push the total 56 to the over. Sit back Saturday afternoon and enjoy a great battle between Lamar Jackson and the Clemson Tiger defense. #moneytreesgrow
Trends
The Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in September.
The Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
The Over is 5-0 in the Tigers last 5 road games.
The Over is 4-0 in the Tigers last 4 games on field-turf.
The Cardinals are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games.
The Cardinals are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
The Over is 9-3 in the Cardinals last 12 conference games.
The Over is 10-4 in the Cardinals last 14 games following a straight up win.
