By Neil Burnett
After a shaky prediction against UNC, the prediction for Florida State was a little more accurate. Now Clemson rolls to Louisville against a team that put up 62 points against 5-0 Wake Forest. Clemson comes off a 45-14 win in dominating fashion.
So, what can we expect Saturday at noon? A shootout? A back and forth? A host of “upset alert” prognostications from the media “experts”? No. The last game on the road for Clemson didn’t turn out like we thought. The Tigers were supposed to roll in and out with an easy win, but that didn’t happen. Many questions why, but what it really came down to was lack of focus. Clemson didn’t take UNC serious from the beginning of the game.
This week, one can bet Coach Dabo Swinney and staff will NOT let that happen again. Taking a look at Louisville, they have improved as the season goes on. Their record is 4-2 with wins over Wake Forest and Boston College. Their two losses were to Notre Dame and Florida State. Louisville is scoring 37.3 points a game, including 51.5 the last two weeks, but wait. They are also giving up 31.5 points a game, including 49.0 the last two weeks.
Will Louisville score? Probably. Will they score like they did against BC and WF? Probably not. Scott Satterfield has done a great job with a team that basically quit last year about halfway through the season. Clemson put a hurtin on them last 77-16. Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the first unit played 2 series into the 3rd quarter as Clemson led 42-3. The second and 3rd units continued the onslaught from there. The same will probably happen again this year.
The past few weeks, Louisville has played inspired on offense, but not so much on defense. They were hit in the mouth by Notre Dame and Florida State, put up a total of 41 points, while giving up 70. Look for more of this type of game. Trevor Lawrence and the offense got on a roll against FSU after that sleeper game against UNC. Louisville gives up 174 yards per game on the ground and 264 through the air. Clemson, on the other hand, allows 104 yards rushing and ranked 2nd in the nation allowing 150 yards through the air. This Clemson defense is going to be too much for Louisville to handle, and the offense is going to have their way with the Cardinal defense, just like BC, WF, FSU and ND did. Clemson wins over Louisville 55-17 (two late touchdowns against the backups)
