Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Austin Peay

Take a look at how the Cardinals stack up against the Governors for their Saturday matchup, and who the statistical models favor:

Sep 16, 2022; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; The Louisville Cardinals mascot performs before the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at Cardinal Stadium. Florida State defeated Louisville 35-31. / Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville (0-0, 0-0 ACC) is set to face Austin Peay (0-0, 0-0 UAC) on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 12:00 p.m. EST at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Here's how the Cardinals stack up against the Governors:

*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*

- Rankings:

	Austin Peay	Louisville
AP/USA TODAY	NR	RV/RV
SOS	N/A	N/A
SOR	N/A	N/A
SP+	N/A	31st
FPI	N/A	21st
Sagarin	172nd	26th

- Offensive Statistics (2023):

	Austin Peay	Louisville
Total Offense	14th (426.8)	41st (415.1)
Yards Per Play	6.3	40th (6.18)
Scoring Offense	9th (34.1)	43rd (30.7)
Passing Yards	13th (274.1)	56th (236.6)
Yards Per Completion	22nd (13.26)	44th (12.45)
Rushing Yards	55th (152.7)	37th (178.5)
Yards Per Rush Attempt	4.1	38th (4.69)
First Downs Gained	26th (245)	30th (292)
3rd Down Con. %	75th (35.6%)	81st (37.4%)
4th Down Con. %	37th (56.5%)	61st (54.2%)
Red Zone Con. %	12th (89.7%)	85th (80.8%)
Turnovers Lost	44th (15)	75th (19)
Interceptions Thrown	64th (10)	83rd (12)
Fumbles Lost	25th (5)	56th (7)
Tackles For Loss Allowed	101st (6.92)	51st (5.29)
Sacks Allowed	104th (3.00)	84th (2.29)
Avg. Time of Possession	84th (28:55)	17th (32:13)

Key (APU): National Rank out of 122 FCS Teams (Value)
Key (UofL): National Rank out of 133 FBS Teams (Value)

- Defensive Statistics (2023):

	Austin Peay	Louisville
Total Defense	86th (396.0)	21st (317.1)
Yards Allowed Per Play	5.3	47th (5.32)
Scoring Defense	42nd (24.4)	33rd (21.3)
Passing Yards Allowed	105th (250.3)	57th (217.3)
Rushing Yards Allowed	53rd (145.7)	9th (99.8)
First Downs Allowed	100th (242)	22nd (222)
3rd Down Defensive %	8th (30.3%	10th (29.8%)
4th Down Defensive %	93rd (60.0%)	34th (44.0%)
Red Zone Defensive %	62nd (81.0%)	1st (67.6%)
Turnovers Gained	53rd (16)	38th (20)
Interceptions Caught	29th (11)	25th (13)
Fumbles Recovered	79th (5)	59th (7)
TFL Per Game	88th (5.0)	34th (6.1)
Sacks Per Game	96th (1.50)	37th (2.43)

Key (APU): National Rank out of 122 FCS Teams (Value)
Key (UofL): National Rank out of 133 FBS Teams (Value)

- Special Teams Statistics (2023):

	Austin Peay	Louisville
Net Punting	24th (38.39)	92nd (37.60)
Avg. Kickoff Return	33rd (21.04)	63rd (20.21)
Avg. Kickoff Return Def.	41st (18.43)	115th (23.40)
Avg. Punt Return	1st (21.27)	112th (4.39)
Avg. Punt Return Def.	39th (5.54)	83rd (8.89)
Field Goal Attempts	13-15	18-25
PAT	48-50	50-52

Key (APU): National Rank out of 122 FCS Teams (Value)
Key (UofL): National Rank out of 133 FBS Teams (Value)

- FPI Prediction: Per ESPN's Football Power Index, the Cardinals have an 97.3 percent chance to win against the Governors. Louisville has an FPI rating of 10.0 (21st overall), whereas Austin Peay does not have an FPI rating (FCS).

- SP+ Prediction: Per Bill Connelly's SP+ model, the Cardinals have a 97.66 percent chance to take down the Governors. Louisville has an SP+ rating of 11.3 (31st overall), whereas Austin Peay does not have an SP+ rating (FCS).

- Personal Prediction: Louisville 49, Austin Peay 3.

(Photo of Louisville Cardinals mascot Louie: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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