Louisville Report

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Clemson Tigers

The Cardinals head back on the road in hopes of extending their four-game win streak against the No. 12 Tigers.

Matthew McGavic

Louisville Cardinals (6-3, 3-3 ACC) at Clemson Tigers (8-1, 6-0 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, November 12 at 3:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C.
- Weather Conditions: Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High around 70F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Clemson -7.0
- All-Time Series: Clemson leads 7-0
- Last Meeting: Clemson won 30-24 on Nov. 6, 2021 (Cardinal Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville improves to 6-3 to become eligible for its 25th bowl appearance. The Cards are 6-3 for the first time since 2014 and have their best record through nine games since an 8-1 start in 2016. Louisville has its first four-game winning streak since winning five straight in 2016.
  • The Cardinals will face a top-15 opponent for the second time in three weeks after beating No. 10 Wake Forest 48-21 on Oct. 29.
  • The Cardinals won their fourth-straight game for the first time since the 2016 season when they won five consecutive games.
  • Facing the nation’s top rush defense, the Cardinals totaled 244 yards on the ground, and saw the Cards post two running backs rush for over 100 yards for the first time since 2012. Tiyon Evans for 126 yards and one score and Jawhar Jordan posted his first 100-yard game at Louisville with 117 yards.
  • Quarterback Malik Cunningham completed 14-of-20 passes for 223 yards and three scores to tie Lamar Jackson’s school record for touchdowns responsible with 119. Cunningham owns 70 career passing touchdowns and 49 rushing scores.
  • Louisville held James Madison, which entered the game averaging 480.7 yards per game, to just 193 yards of total offense — the second lowest total for an opponent this season. Louisville limited USF to 158 yards — the first time since 2017 that the Cards held two opponents to less than 200 yards in a season.
  • Linebacker Momo Sanogo recorded a career high 13 tackles as the Cardinals held the Dukes to just 52 yards through the air.
  • The Cardinals picked up their 40th consecutive win when shutting out the opposition in the second half.
  • Running back Tiyon Evans recorded his fifth 100-yard rushing game of his collegiate career with his 126 yards versus James Madison on Saturday. Evans has two 100-yard games at Louisville and added three during his one season at Tennessee.
  • Wide receiver Tyler Hudson recorded his first Louisville touchdown in the win over James Madison and his 28th collegiate score. Prior to joining the Cardinals, Hudson registered 27 touchdowns during his career at Central Arkansas.
  • With Tiyon Evans (126), Jawhar Jordan (117), and Tyler Hudson (142), Louisville has two running backs with 100 yards rushing and a receiver with 100 yards receiving in the same game for the first time since Sept. 26, 2008, vs. Connecticut when Bilal Powell, Victor Anderson, and Doug Beaumont combined to do it.
  • Tight end Marshon Ford caught two passes for 21 yards to extend his streak to 33-straight games with at least one reception. Ford is third on the team with 23 receptions for 309 yards and two touchdowns.
  • The Cardinals are +14 in the turnover battle over the last six games, turning it over seven times, but creating 21 over that span.
  • Louisville has outscored the opposition 72-24 in the third quarter this season. They have held their third-straight opponent without a third quarter touchdown.

Clemson

  • Clemson’s winning streak concluded at 14 games following a 35-14 loss at Notre Dame, the fourth-longest winning streak in school history.
  • Running back Will Shipley rushed 12 times for 63 yards with a touchdown. He also caught five passes for 17 yards.
  • Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed 27-of-39 passes for 191 yards with a touchdown and an interception. With 191 passing yards in the game, Uiagalelei (5,165) became the eighth player in Clemson history to throw for 5,000 career passing yards.
  • Clemson held Notre Dame to 85 passing yards and has now held consecutive opponents below 200 passing yards for the first time this season
  • Clemson attempting to produce its 30th nine-win season in school history. It would be Clemson's 13th under Head Coach Dabo Swinney, more than doubling College Football Hall of Famer Danny Ford (six).
  • Clemson attempting to win at least nine of the first 10 games of a season for the 16th time in school history.
  • Clemson attempting to clinch the ACC Atlantic Division outright. The Tigers are already guaranteed to represent the division in the ACC Championship Game by virtue of holding head-to-head tiebreakers in the event of identical conference records.
  • Clemson attempting to win in its first eight games against a school for the second time all-time, joining Clemson's wins in the first 29 games of its all-time series with Virginia.
  • Clemson entering the game averaging 40.6 points per game against Louisville in seven all-time meetings, Clemson’s highest all-time scoring average against an opponent presently in a Power Five conference.
  • Clemson attempting to win its 39th consecutive home game to extend the longest home winning streak in ACC history. No member of Clemson’s roster has lost a home game at Clemson in their careers.
  • Clemson (38) attempting to tie the 2005- 11 Oklahoma Sooners (39) for the ninth-longest home winning streak in FBS history.
  • Clemson attempting to add to its national-best 57-1 record at home in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014).
  • Clemson attempting to win a 10th consecutive game against conference opponents, dating to last season. It would mark Clemson’s fifth conference winning streak of 10 or more games since the ACC’s founding in 1953.
  • Clemson attempting to win a seventh conference regular season game in a season for the 10th time in school history.
  • Clemson attempting to improve to 48-2 in its last 50 games against ACC Atlantic Division teams, including games against typical Atlantic division foes in the division-free season in 2020.
  • Clemson attempting to earn its 100th victory against Power Five opponents since 2013. Clemson's 99 victories in that span against Power Five teams are the most in the country.
  • Clemson attempting to improve to 30-7 in games following a loss under Dabo Swinney, including season openers following a loss in the previous season finale. Clemson has not lost back-to-back games in the same season since November 2011.

Depth Charts

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

Comparison

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

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing black helmets and pants with white jerseys, Clemson will be wearing purple jerseys and pants with orange helmets.

Additional Coverage

(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Jamie Rhodes - 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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