Before the season, Thursday's showdown between the No. 11 Clemson Tigers and Louisville Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium stood out as an early-season slugfest between conference title hopefuls.
Instead, it's a case of one of the nation's most dominant teams making a trip to Louisville to encounter a reeling Cardinals team that is still searching for its first win.
Granted, the Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney have had it easy thus far, while Cardinals head coach Bobby Petrino and Co. underwent a trial by fire to start the season. Regardless, the two will collide under a national spotlight in what should be an intriguing matchup thanks to stingy defenses and offenses oozing potential.
Here's a look at everything you need to know about the affair.
Viewing Info
When: Thursday, September 17, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium; Louisville, Kentucky
Television: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Betting Line (via Odds Shark): Clemson (-7)
Staying the Course
So far, so good for Clemson, owner of a 2-0 record after beating Wofford and Appalachian State by a combined score of 90-20 in tuneup contests.
On offense, Deshaun Watson has looked unstoppable in his first action out of Cole Stoudt's shadow. He has completed 77.1 percent of his passes for 442 yards and five scores with just one interception.
While not easy to judge yet, preseason projections tabbing the Tigers with an elite defense have looked good, too. It's a theory the Cardinals can put to the test, though, considering the player Louisville will trot out under center remains a mystery and lead back Brandon Radcliff has looked good so far with 27 totes for 119 yards and two scores.
Swinney isn't one to underestimate the competition, though, as Dan Hope of Orange and White noted:
On a short week, it's a notion Swinney will need to spread to his entire team—even more so because the team will take on No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 14 Georgia Tech after Louisville.
“We’ll come out and play hard, regardless who we’re playing against. Alabama, Florida State, LSU, it doesn’t really matter,” safety Jayron Kearse said, per Aaron Brenner of the Post and Courier. “We don’t have any questions to answer.”
On paper, Clemson has the talent and elite defense to keep a struggling Cardinals team in check. But on the road against a desperate opponent that is better than anything they have yet to encounter, the Tigers have their work cut out.
Picking Up the Pieces
Where do the Cardinals go from here?
The team looked respectable in a season-opening loss to then-No. 6 Auburn, picking off Jeremy Johnson three times before losing 31-24.
In hindsight, though, Auburn needed overtime the following week to beat Jacksonville State and avoid one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
The Cardinals went out the next week and lost to Houston, 34-31, allowing Greg Ward Jr. to throw three touchdowns while misfiring on just 10 of his 33 attempts.
In other words, the defense seems to be an issue. More important, though, is the play under center through two games. Petrino benched Lamar Jackson for Kyle Bolin against Houston, but neither has impressed:
Petrino didn't sound like a man with a plan at the position after the loss to Houston.
“That’s a great question,” Petrino said, per Eric Crawford of WDRB.com. “It’s something I can’t answer right now. But we’ll work at it, get it figured out.”
An accelerated clock due to a short week doesn't help things, nor does a date with a strong defense. For Petrino and the Cardinals, Thursday means everything.
Team Injury Reports
Prediction
It might be a road contest on a short turnaround, but the line out of Las Vegas feels too small.
While the globe hasn't seen Clemson against a great team yet, it has seen Louisville against above-average squads. The results haven't been pretty, and a question mark under center at this stage of the season is the worst thing that could happen to a team.
Clemson is the more talented team. The defense will fly to the ball and have few issues stuffing Radcliff, no matter who resides under center.
Watson is in for another gaudy performance as well, courtesy of a Louisville defense that struggles to contain quick-hitting plays. Look for Clemson to pull ahead early, silence the crowd and cruise.
Prediction: Clemson wins 35-20.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566434-clemson-vs-louisville-ticket-info-date-tv-schedule-and-live-stream
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