The Clemson Tigers will look to improve to 9-0 in front of their home crowd against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. The 2018 Cardinals are not on the same level as past Cardinal teams, and will come into the matchup with a 2-6 overall record and an 0-5 record in the conference. In last season’s matchup, the Tigers took down the Lamar Jackson lead Cardinals by a score of 47-21.
The biggest issue for Louisville this season has been the defense which has given up more than 50 points on three occasions this season, including 56 points a week ago against Wake Forest. Louisville is especially vulnerable to the run game as they rank 124th in rushing yards allowed, compared to 25th in passing yards allowed. Louisville’s struggles against the run stem from a lack of depth in the front seven where they start just one upperclassman. Look for Clemson running back Travis Etienne to have a bounce-back game after the offense has focused on the passing game in recent weeks.
Offensively, the Louisville offense runs through dual-threat quarterback Jawon Pass. In his first season as a starter, Pass has accumulated nine total touchdowns and has thrown seven interceptions. Running back Trey Smith will enter the game with a hot hand as he scored three touchdowns in last weekend’s loss. Louisville’s biggest “X factor” is senior wide receiver Jaylen Smith. While Smith racked up over 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns over the past two seasons, he has only accumulated 373 yards and one touchdown this season. If Louisville wants to have a chance on Saturday, Pass and Smith are going to have to find a way to expose Clemson’s secondary.
The Clemson offense has seemingly been hitting their stride over the past three weeks. As quarterback Trevor Lawrence has eased into the starting QB role, the offense has had the ability to score on the ground and through the air. Over the last three games, Clemson has scored nine touchdowns via the passing game, and thirteen via the running game. This level of scoring in conjunction with two total touchdowns allowed has proved to be a winning formula for the Tigers.
While Clemson will open up the game as 37.5 point favorites, head coach Dabo Swinney isn’t ready to chalk up the game in the win column before it begins. In the week leading up to the game, Swinney called Louisville, “The best 2-6 team I’ve seen…Their record isn’t indicative of the players they have.” Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott added, “They are very capable…If they put it all together, they are going to be scary.” The problem for Louisville is that they haven’t been able to put it together all season. Asking them to figure it out in Death Valley against the No. 2 team in the nation is a tall order to say the least.
