Louisville Report

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. NC State Wolfpack

The Cardinals are heading to Raleigh, N.C. on the heels of breaking a two-game losing streak.

Matthew McGavic

Louisville Cardinals (4-3, 2-2 ACC) at NC State Wolfpack (5-2, 2-1 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.
- Weather Conditions: A few clouds from time to time. Low near 49F. Winds light and variable.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: WHAS 840/790 WKRD
- Betting Favorite: NC State -6.5
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 7-3
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 34-20 on Nov. 16, 2019 (Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, N.C.)

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Quarterback Malik Cunningham rushed for three touchdowns in the win over Boston College to give him 12 on the season. It was the sixth time this season that Cunningham ran for a pair of scores and the eighth time in his career — the second most by a quarterback. He is the third UofL quarterback in school history to rush for three touchdowns in a game, joining Benny Russell and Lamar Jackson.
  • The Cardinals turned the ball over a season high four times in the win over Boston College, winning for the first time with that many turnovers since a 42-3 win over Kent State in 2017.
  • In the 28-14 win over Boston College, the Cardinals rushed for a season high 331 yards — the third-straight game of over 200 yards. The 331 rushing yards were the most since totaling 370 versus Syracuse in 2019 and the fourth time under head Scott Satterfield of 300 or more yards rushing.
  • Louisville rushed for 202 yards in the opening half, its highest first half rushing total since rushing for 219 against Virginia last season.
  • Malik Cunningham and Trevion Cooley became the first Louisville teammates to rush for 100 yards in the same game since Malik Williams and Lamar Jackson did so against Syracuse on Nov. 18, 2017.
  • Louisville averaged a season high 7.0 yard per carry and totaled a season high four rushing touchdowns in the win. Trevion Cooley, who recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game, averaged 8.6 yards per carry, while Cunningham picked up 8.3 yards a carry.
  • For the second-straight game, the Cardinals’ offensive line failed to yield a sack, the first time not allowing a sack in back-to-back games since 2008.
  • The Cardinals added to their interception total by picking off two more passes to give them nine picks on the year. Trey Franklin registered his second and Josh Minkins recorded his first in college. UofL tallied three more sacks in Saturday’s win, upping its season total to 21 through seven games and matching its total from all of last year.
  • The Cardinals have at least three sacks in three of the last four games. Tyler Harrell caught a pair of passes for a career-high 100 yards and a 92-yard touchdown in the loss to Virginia. This is his second straight game with a touchdown of at least 75 yards. The redshirt sophomore has caught seven passes for 261 yards, an average of 37.3 yards a reception.
  • In his three seasons as a head coach at Louisville, Scott Satterfield’s teams are 7-4 when his teams score 30-39 points, but have lost two in a row after losses to Wake Forest and Virginia.

NC State

  • This week’s game is NC State’s Homecoming.
  • NC State boasts the top defense in the ACC in terms of statistical rankings. The Wolfpack leads the league in total defense and rushing defense, ranks second in scoring defense and fifth in passing defense.
  • The Wolfpack offense has not committed a turnover in three straight games.
  • NC State and Georgia are the only teams in the Power 5 who have allowed just one rushing touchdown all season.
  • Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren ranks second in career victories in NC State history with 60. He boasts the third-longest tenure among all current ACC coaches - t14th nationally.
  • Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary has not thrown an interception in the past five games (175 straight pass attempts). During that span he’s thrown 14 touchdowns and completed 67% (117- 175) of his throws. 
  • During Doeren’s tenure at NC State, the Wolfpack has held the opposition to less than 100 yards rushing 40 times, including four times this season (vs. Mississippi State, Furman, Boston College & Miami). 
  • The Wolfpack coaching staff - head coach Dave Doeren + 10 assistant coaches - boasts 299 years of collective coaching experience.
  • The Wolfpack has won its last seven games at Carter-Finley, including all four of 2021.
  • The Pack has outscored its foes 151-55 (37.8-13.8) at home this season.
  • NC State will be bowl eligible with a win over Louisville.
  • Former Wolfpack coach Dick Sheridan will be honored during Saturday’s game for his induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame. Although he was in the Class of 2020, he will be formally inducted in December of ‘21 in Las Vegas.
  • The Louisville game marks the Wolfpack’s seventh night game in eight contests this season. With four games still left to be scheduled, that already ties as the highest total of night games in school history. That’s the highest number in the ACC so far this season.
  • The Pack has lost its top two tacklers from last season due to injury: WLB Payton Wilson with a shoulder injury in Game 2 and Isaiah Moore with a knee injury in Game 7.

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. NC State

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Eagles, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. NC State

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing red helmets with white jerseys and pants, NC State has not yet announced their uniform combination.

Additional Coverage

(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Rob Kinnan - USA TODAY Sports)

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Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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