In a battle featuring two schools that like to deploy their running games, Coach Dabo Swinney and the No. 3 Clemson Tigers (+24) will be facing off against their in-conference rival Louisville Cardinals at Cardinal Stadium. This vital daytime game is scheduled to get going at 12:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ABC.
Betting Preview: Clemson Tigers at Louisville Cardinals
Clemson is the heavy road favorite and is currently giving up 24 points to Louisville. If the Cards get ahead early it will create a reasonable in-game betting opportunity. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 63 points.
Odds have shifted from when they were originally posted. The line opened at 22 and the game’s total has yet to move after it was initially established at 63.
The Tigers have gained 1.0 unit so far in 2019 and are 4-2 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-4.
The Cardinals are up 2.2 units this season. The team is 4-2 ATS and has an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Tigers have gone 6-0 straight up (SU), including 4-0 SU against conference opponents. The Cardinals are 4-2 SU overall and 2-1 SU in conference play.
The Tigers are looking to remain undefeated after a 45-14 win over Florida State last weekTheir defense allowed the Seminoles to run for 103 yards on 23 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Tamorrion Terry had a productive day for the Seminoles in that one with 83 yards and a score on two catches. On the offense, the Tigers completed 24-of-38 passes for 232 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Trevor Lawrence went 17-for-25 for 170 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while Chase Brice completed five-of-nine for 35 yards. Travis Etienne (127 rushing yards on 17 attempts) and Lyn-J Dixon (49 yards on 10 carries) led the ground attack in the win while Justyn Ross (five receptions, 61 yards, two TDs) and Amari Rodgers (five catches, 44 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Louisville just earned a 62-59 win over Wake Forest. The defensive unit allowed the Demon Deacons to pass for 423 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 245 yards and three scores. Sage Surratt shredded the defense, recording 196 yards and three touchdowns on 12 catches for Wake Forest. As a group, the Cards collectively completed 17-of-25 passes for 295 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Evan Conley went 12-for-18 for 196 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Malik Cunningham was five-of-six for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Javian Hawkins (60 rushing yards on 20 attempts, one TD) and Hassan Hall (30 yards on 11 carries, one TD) handled the ground game in the win while Chatarius Atwell (seven receptions, 85 yards, one TD) and Dez Fitzpatrick (five catches, 125 yards, two TDs) led the receiving corps.
Clemson’s run the ball on 53.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Louisville has a rush percentage of 64 percent. The Tigers have produced 238.8 rush yards/game (including 269.3 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 16 scores via handoffs this year. The Cards are logging 227 rushing yards per game (195 in conference) and have 12 total rush TDs.
Based on the numbers this season, it appears the Tigers may hold an advantage in terms of RB efficiency, as their backfield has generated 6.1 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 3.0 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Cardinals have ran for 5.0 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 4.4 to opponents.
The Tigers offensive scheme has averaged 258.2 yards through the air overall (262.5 per game against conference opposition) and has 13 passing TDs so far. The Cards have produced 262 pass yards per game (336 against ACC foes) and have 15 total pass scores.
Defensively, Clemson appears to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 104.5 yards and throw for 150.3 yards per game. The Louisville defense has allowed 264.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 174.5 yards per game on the ground. The Tigers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 2.60 to opponents, while the Cards have given up a 7.54 ANY/A.
Offensively, Lawrence has amassed 1,095 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 63 percent of his 131 attempts with 10 scores through the air and six interceptions. He has a 7.54 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.18 over the last two games.
In the other huddle, Malik Cunningham has connected on 31-of-48 passes for 532 yards, six TDs and one INT. Cunningham’s ANY/A sits at 9.96 for the season and 18.63 over his past two outings.
When these two squads met last year, Clemson knocked off Louisville easily 77-16.
Clemson Tigers vs. Louisville Cardinals NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Louisville, ATS Winner: Louisville, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Clemson defense has sacked opposing QBs 22 times this year. Louisville has registered just 13 sacks.
- The Louisville offense has lost six fumbles in 2019 while the Clemson offense has let four get away.
- The Tigers offense has produced six pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Cardinals have accounted for 10 such plays.
- The Clemson defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Louisville has given up six such plays.
- The Clemson offense has created eight rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Louisville has created 15 such runs.
- The Tigers defense has allowed four rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Cardinals have given up seven such runs.
- The O/U for Louisville’s last game going into it was 65. The over cashed in the 62-59 victory over Wake Forest.
- Over its last three games, Louisville is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Over its last three matches, Clemson is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Louisville has won five of its last six games SU, with a -11-point loss to Florida State on September 21st representing its lone defeat over that span.
- The O/U for Clemson’s last game was set at 60.5. The under cashed in the team’s 45-14 victory over Florida State.
- As a team, Clemson has rushed for 5.5 yards per attempt across its last three games and 5.3 over its last two.
- Louisville has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.2 over its past two.
