Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Miami Hurricanes

The Cardinals face the Hurricanes in their final true road game of the 2023 season.

No. 9/10 Louisville Cardinals (9-1, 6-1 ACC) at Miami Hurricanes (6-4, 2-4 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, November 18 at 12:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Coral Gables, Fla.
- Weather Conditions: Cloudy. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
- How To Watch: ABC
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Pick 'Em
- All-Time Series: Miami leads 11-3-1
- Last Meeting: Miami won 47-34 on Sept. 19, 2020 (Cardinal Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

Game Notes

Louisville

• The Cardinals look for their seventh 10-win season when UofL travels to Miami on Saturday, Nov. 18 for a 12 p.m. game at Hard Rock Stadium. Louisville is trying to notch its 10th win for the first time since the 2013 campaign The Cardinals are looking to notch its seventh ACC win on Saturday, which would equal the 2016 squad that also went 7-1 but missed out on playing in the ACC title game that season.
• The Cardinals are looking for their first win over the Hurricanes in Miami, going 0-6-1 all-time on the road.
• With a win over the Hurricanes, the Cardinals can clinch their first appearance in the ACC title game on Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. With a loss, the Cardinals can still clinch with a number of different scenarios.
• The Cardinals are 9-1 and 6-1 in the ACC for the first time since the 2016 season. Louisville closed the 2016 season by losing the last three games of the season after a 9-1 start.
• Louisville won its third-straight game and third consecutive league contest. The Cards picked up their fourth one-possession win with the 31-24 victory — the most since securing five in 2015.
• Louisville raised its record to 9-1 and 6-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference after a 31-24 win over Virginia — the school’s 11th-straight home win, which is tied for the second most consecutive wins in school history. Louisville won its sixth-straight home game in a season for the eighth time in school history and the first since going 6-0 during the 2013 campaign.
• Louisville came from behind for the third time this season, the fifth time in school history to accomplish such a feat and the first since 2014. Louisville battled back from a 28-13 halftime deficit to win 39-34 victory over Georgia Tech. Louisville trailed 10-0 in the third quarter to win 13-10 in Raleigh.
• Head coach Jeff Brohm became the second coach in school history to win nine games in his first season, joining Bobby Petrino, who went 9-4 in his first season with the Cardinals in 2003. Brohm looks for his 10th win on Saturday, which would be the most by a first-year head coach at Louisville.
• Louisville has four sacks to log its third straight game and fifth game in the last seven with at least four sacks.
• Louisville forces an interception on the opponent’s first drive of the second half for the third straight game.
• Louisville wins its 19th straight game over the past five seasons when shutting out its opponent in the first quarter.
• Louisville is 1-1 in true road games this season, coming back to defeat NC State 13-10 on Sept. 29 and dropping a 38-21 decision to Pitt on Oct. 14.
• Safety D’Angelo Hutchinson was the first player to block a punt since linebacker Yasir Abduallh blocked one versus Wake Forest in 2018. In the win over Virginia, Jimmy Calloway picked up the blocked punt in the end zone for the first blocked punt return for a touchdown since Charles Gaines blocked a kick and scored versus Connecticut in 2013.
• Running back Isaac Guerendo has rushed for 240 yards and four scores in the last two games. The junior has 17 carries for 240 yards, which is a remarkable 14.1 per carry average over those two contests. He put the Cardinals ahead 31-24 with a 73-yard touchdown run — the only with four 70+ yard runs and the only school with six scrimmage plays of 70 or more yards.
• Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte record 1.5 sacks in the win over Virginia, giving him 10.0 on the season. He has recorded 9.0 sacks at home and just 1.0 in road games. The junior from Boca Raton, Fla., is the first player with 10.0 sacks since Yasir Abdullah notched 10 in 2021.
• Quarterback Jack Plummer recorded his third multi-touchdown passing game with a pair of touchdown throws versus Virginia. It was the first time he tossed two or more touchdown passes in a game since throwing five against Boston College on Sept. 23 at L&N Stadium.
• The Cardinals are looking for their seventh ACC win, which would equal their best total since joining the league in 2014. The six wins are the second most since being invited to the the conference.
• Placekicker Brock Travelstead has made 14 field goals, which is tied for the 10th most in a season.

Miami

• The Hurricanes are coming off a 27-20 loss to Florida State in Tallahassee on Nov. 11. QB Emory Williams made the first road start of his career
• Miami had possession of the ball with less than five minutes remaining down one score, but an interception on the final drive sealed a Seminoles' win.
• WR Jacolby George was named ACC Receiver of the Week for the second time this year; he compiled 153 yards with two touchdowns against FSU.
• Another freshman - DL Rueben Bain, Jr. - ranks first among defensive lineman in sacks with 6.5 and is tied for sixrth in the ACC in the category.
• Miami is looking for its second top-25 win of the season Saturday; the Canes picked up an impressive win over #23/#22 Texas A&M, 48-33, on Sept. 9.
• Cristobal, a double alum of the University, was named the 26th head coach in program history by school president Dr. Julio Frenk on Dec. 6, 2021.
• Cristobal returned home after spending the previous four seasons as head coach at Oregon, where he won two Pac-12 titles and captured a Rose Bowl.
• Cristobal is regarded as one of the nations top recruiters, and in his first recruiting cycle as Miami head coach, the Hurricanes signed the best class in program history according to the 247Sports Composite; it was the top-ranked class in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the top class in the state.
• The second-year Miami head coach hired Shannon Dawson from the University of Houston as the team’s new offensive coordinator and Lance Guidry from Marshall as the team’s new defensive coordinator entering 2023. In total, there are new faces in seven of 10 assistant coach roles; in addition to Dawson and Guidry, Cristobal hired Derek Nicholson (from Louisville) to coach linebackers, Tim Harris, Jr., (UCF) to coach running backs, Kevin Beard (Toledo) to coach wide receivers and elevated both Jason Taylor (defensive line) and Cody Woodiel (tight ends) from analyst roles.
• After a breakout season where he earned All-America honors, Kam Kinchens was named to the watch list for nearly every major defensive award, including the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Trophy and the Thorpe Award. He was also named a Preseason All-American by the Associated Press.
• TE Elijah Arroyo (Mackey Award), K Andy Borregales (Lou Groza Award), OL Javion Cohen (Outland Trophy), OL Matt Lee (Rimington Award) and DL Leonard Taylor (Bednarik) were also among those recognized with preseason watch list selections for major awards entering 2023.
• The Canes feature a 2023 transfer portal class that ranked among the best in FBS; it includes starters OL Javion Cohen (Alabama), Matt Lee (UCF) and LB Francisco Mauigoa (Washington State), DB Jaden Davis (Oklahoma) and others like DB Davonte Brown (UCF) and RB Ajay Allen (Nebraska).

Depth Charts

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

Comparison

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

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing red helmets (with the "Cards" script) and pants with white jerseys, while Miami will be wearing white helmets and pants with orange jerseys.

Additional Coverage

• Final Thoughts and Observations on Louisville vs. Virginia
• Jeff Brohm, Ron English and Louisville Players Recap Virginia, Preview Miami
• Louisville Not Concerned With ACC Championship Game-Clinching Scenarios, Focusing on 'Win and In'
• Louisville Aiming to Improve Road Efficiency vs. Talented Miami Squad
• Behind Enemy Lines: Five Questions for All Hurricanes' Brian Smith
• Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Miami
• From The Pink Seats: Episode 120 - Virginia Recap, Miami Preview

(Photo via the Atlantic Coast Conference)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter