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No. 3 Clemson visits Louisville, seeks 22nd consecutive win
No. 3 Clemson (6-0, 4-0 ACC) at Louisville (4-2, 2-1), Saturday at 12 p.m. EDT (ABC).
Line: Clemson by 23 1/2.
Series record: Clemson leads 5-0.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Clemson seeks its 22nd consecutive victory and firmer control of the ACC Atlantic Division while remaining unbeaten against the Cardinals. Fresh off winning a second consecutive shootout in league play, the improving Cardinals aim to finally break through against the defending national champion and give first-year coach Scott Satterfield his second win in a row over a ranked school.
KEY MATCHUP
Clemson's offense vs. Louisville's defense. Tigers QB Trevor Lawrence (1,301 yards, 11 TDs) and RB Travis Etienne (589, five) get another crack at the Cardinals after combining for four touchdowns in last year's 77-16 home shellacking. That duo hasn't missed a beat this season and leads the ACC's No. 2 offense in several offensive categories, including yards per game at 497. They'll face a 3-4 alignment of youngsters who have yielded 98 points the past two weeks but have won both times. The Cardinals are 12th in the ACC in total defense (439 yards allowed) and scoring D (31.5).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Clemson: LB Isaiah Simmons. The Tigers lead the ACC in total defense (254.8) and pass defense (150.3) thanks to the junior, who has team bests of 46 tackles and four sacks. He returned an interception 27 yards for TD in last year's meeting.
Louisville: WR Dez Fitzpatrick. Since going without a reception in a victory over Western Kentucky, the junior has 17 catches for 366 yards and four touchdowns the past three games. His total includes 125 yards and two TDs on five catches at Wake Forest, making Fitzpatrick the first receiver since DeVante Parker with three consecutive 100-yard efforts.
FACTS & FIGURES
Clemson has won both previous visits to Louisville, including 47-21 in 2017. . The Tigers seek their 16th consecutive ACC regular-season win for the second time and first since winning 20 in a row from 1981-84. . Louisville is third in ACC offense (409.5 yards per game) and scoring (37.3). ... QBs Micale Cunningham and Evan Conley have combined for 1,242 yards passing with 11 TDs against just two interceptions this season.
