A pair of ACC rivals will meet in Death Valley as Clemson welcomes Louisville in Week 11 action on Saturday. Louisville is riding a wave of momentum with a four-game win streak. This includes a dominant performance against Wake Forest where the Cardinals forced eight takeaways and two pick-sixes for the 48-21 victory. In Louisville’s last outing was a dominant second-half effort against James Madison. The halftime adjustments have been masterful from Scott Satterfield’s. In the second half against James Madison, Louisville flipped a switch, out-gaining the Dukes 302 yards to 45 and out-scored them 24-0 in a 34-10 victory. The Cardinals extended their current win streak to four and clinched bowl eligibility.
Photo Cred: Big Red Louie
The turnaround has been amazing. Just last month were rumors that Satterfield would be fired at the end of the season. After a strong showing this year and a great recruiting class, the Cardinals could be returning to prominence. Louisville received top 25 votes for the first time this season.
“We’re certainly playing with a lot more confidence as a football team overall compared to a month ago.” Scott Satterfield said “I think once you get after the first part of the season, you get a good identity for your team. You know where your strengths and weaknesses are after the first four or five games.”
Photo Cred: Sports Illustrated
Clemson is coming off its first loss, a troubling 35-14 road loss to then-unranked Notre Dame. The Tiger’s playoff chances are on life support. The offense has been a roller coaster. Quarterbacks Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik each threw interceptions. The Fighting Irish ran for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Throw in a punt blocked for a touchdown, and Clemson dug themselves into a 28-0 hole. Malik Cunningham suffered an injury to his non-throwing hand in last Saturday’s 34-10 win over James Madison. However, Satterfield also said that Cunningham is in line to practice this week and expects him to play against the Tigers.
Photo Cred: Greenville Online
The Cardinals currently have 3,807 total yards for the year. Louisville has 10 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns. They have 14 turnovers. Louisville has 190 first downs as a unit, and they have committed 67 penalties for 651 yards. As a team, they are averaging 201.7 yards in the run game, which ranks them 25th in college football. Regarding putting points on the board, the Louisville Cardinals are sitting at 30.2 points per outing.
Photo Cred: ACC
The Clemson Tigers average 405.9 yards/per outing, ranking them 62nd in the country. The Clemson offense has 517 yards of penalties on 57 violations, which is good for 59th in D-1 in terms of making mistakes. The Tigers have racked up 2,080 yards in passing and an average of 231.1 passing yards per contest. They sit 73rd in D-1. The Tigers currently rank 31st in the country with an average of 34.6 PPG.
Photo Cred: NBC Sports
What a difference four years make in college football. The last time Clemson hosted Louisville at Memorial Stadium; the Tigers were a 38-point favorite. The Cardinals were on the Bobby Petrino Farewell. This is Louisville’s first-time visit since Scott Satterfield took over. Louisville will be a touchdown underdog.
