The Louisville Cardinals swoop into Death Valley to square off against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, October 1st at 8:00 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the ABC Network. As of now, Louisville is the slight favorite at -2 and the over/under rests at 68. ESPN’s GameDay be featuring this ACC clash.
Louisville dismantled the Thundering Heard in Huntington, W.V. to the tune of 59-28 the last time they took to the grid-iron. Clemson looked solid defensively as they took care of business in Bobby Dodd Stadium, defeating the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 26-7. The Tigers have claimed victory in two closely contested matches between the two schools over the last two seasons.
#4 Louisville Cardinals (4-0):
Heisman Trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson did it again. Last week, he threw for a career-high 417 yards and five touchdowns. He ran in another two scores just for good measure. Jackson has been simply amazing, passing for over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions.
What makes Lamar Jackson so special is the fact that he makes highlight reel plays with his feet too. This year, the youngster has amassed over 525 yards on 61 carries for another impressive 12 scores.
Brandon Radcliff has done his part when asked to carry the football out of the Cardinal’s backfield. In four games, he has ran with the rock 46 times for 427 yards and three trips to pay-dirt. Including Lamar Jackson’s rushing numbers, the running game has already collected over 1,200 yards in 2016.
Louisville has four capable receivers for Lamar Jackson to hit down field. James Quick and Jamari Staples are his favorites. Together, they have totaled 30 catches for almost 675 yards and three touchdown grabs. Jaylen Smith and Cody Hikutini have also done pretty well. The two have combined for another 20 receptions for just under 400 yards and five more scores.
The Cardinal’s defense has been good. They’re 13th in the nation in total yards against and 16th against the pass. Opposing teams have found ways to put points up on the board against Louisville (22.5), but not nearly enough to keep up with their potent offensive out-put. The Cardinals have the number one offense in the country.
#3 Clemson Tigers (4-0):
The Tigers are starting to rock and roll offensively. That’s not good news for opposing ACC defenses. Quarterback Deshaun Watson looked good last week against the Yellow Jackets. He was was 32-of-48 for 304 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
This season, Deshaun Watson has 90 completions for nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns and four picks. He is also their second leading rusher, carrying the rock 35 times for 120 yards.
Running back Wayne Gallman is the Tiger’s go-to guy out of their back field. Gallman is set to have a break-out performance one of these days. As of now, he has 63 carries for over 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Deshaun Watson has two really good wide receivers he likes to distribute the ball to. Ray-Ray McCloud and Mike Williams are starting to stand out. Together, the two pass catchers have nabbed 51 passes for over 550 yards and three scores. Eight other Tiger receivers have caught a touchdown pass from Watson.
The one advantage that stands out entering this ACC battle is Clemson’s defense. The Tigers are a tough and speedy group that fly to the ball for four quarters. Clemson is ranked third in the nation in total defense, Kansas State ranks first. They are fifth in the country in scoring defense allowing only 11 points a game. The Tigers are also third in the nation against the pass and 15th against the run.
Trends and Notes:
The Cardinals are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
The Cardinals are 28-11-1 ATS in their last 40 road games.
The Over is 5-0 in the Cardinals last 5 conference games.
The Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
The Under is 13-5 in the Tigers last 18 home games.
Game Prediction:
This game has all the right ingredients to be a classic. Louisville brings the nations number one ranked offense into Memorial Stadium to match-up against what very well could be the nations number one defense. Something has got to give on Saturday evening.
The Cardinals at times almost look unstoppable and Lamar Jackson and company should find ways to move the ball on the stout Clemson defense. It’s hard to imagine anyone shutting down this offensive juggernaut.
Clemson seemed to struggle offensively in the early games of the season, but are picking up steam as they roll forward. The defense has been all that is advertised and then some.
Clemson as a home dog is something that nobody could have foresaw at the start of the 2016 season. Well, they’re that for a very good reason. The Louisville Cardinals are the real deal. Both teams can score and Clemson has the better defense. Last time we checked, defenses win games. Picking against Clemson as a home dog is too dangerous. Instead, fall back on the two of the top quarterbacks in college football and take the over 68.
