Louisville Cardinals vs. Clemson Tigers Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 2nd 2024

Preview and Prediction

Clemson, ranked No. 11, is on the hunt for their seventh consecutive victory as they prepare to face Louisville at home this Saturday. However, coach Dabo Swinney is anticipating a challenging match against their Atlantic Coast Conference rival.

The Cardinals (5-3, 3-2 ACC) are traveling to upstate South Carolina after a thrilling 31-27 comeback win against Boston College on Friday. Despite being down 20-0 with only 6:30 left in the first half, Louisville managed to pull off the fourth-greatest comeback in their team's history.

This weekend's game will showcase two high-powered offenses, with Clemson ranking second in the ACC with an average of 490.4 yards per game and Louisville close behind at 460 yards.

All of Louisville's losses this season have been by a margin of only seven points and against teams that are currently ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

Swinney expressed his admiration for Louisville's offense, stating that they have been in some highly competitive games and have the ability to score against any team. He also noted that this is the most complete and impressive offense they have faced since their game against Georgia earlier this season.

Leading the Louisville offense is quarterback Tyler Shough, a seventh-year senior who transferred from Texas Tech after last season. Despite dealing with injuries throughout his career, Shough has been healthy this season and currently ranks third in the conference and ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 2,348 passing yards in eight games. He has thrown for over 300 yards in four games, including 332 yards in their win against Boston College.

Shough's go-to receiver has been senior transfer Ja'Corey Brooks from Alabama, who leads the ACC with 799 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. On the ground, freshman running back Isaac Brown has been making a name for himself, earning his second ACC Rookie of the Week award after rushing for 85 yards and two touchdowns in their last game. He is currently the second-best true freshman rusher in program history, with 649 yards, only 311 yards behind NFL star Lamar Jackson.

After their season-opening loss to then-No. 1 Georgia, Clemson has bounced back and scored 29 or more points in every game since, with five games of 40 or more points.

Louisville coach Jeff Brohm acknowledged that they will be facing a strong Clemson team, stating "We're getting them while they're hot, so we'll get their best shot," during a press conference on Monday.

The Tigers (6-1, 5-0) are coming off their second and final bye week of the regular season. In their last game on October 19, they defeated Virginia 48-31, with quarterback Cade Klubnik throwing for 308 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Phil Mafah also had a strong performance, rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

Klubnik has been impressive this season, completing two-thirds of his 219 passes for 1,836 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. He has also spread the ball around, with five players having at least 223 receiving yards.

Mafah leads the Tigers in rushing with 682 yards and six touchdowns.

Louisville has yet to secure a win against Clemson in their eight meetings since joining the ACC nine years ago. However, four of their losses have been by a margin of six points or less.

PREDICTION

Louisville Cardinals

Clemson Tigers

Louisville Cardinals vs. Clemson Tigers Recap NOV 2TH 2024

Isaac Brown rushed for 151 yards, including a game-sealing 45-yard touchdown burst with 5:50 to play, as Louisville went to Clemson and stunned the No. 11 Tigers 33-21 in the Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on Saturday night.

Louisville (6-3, 4-2 ACC) scored on seven of its 11 possessions while Clemson (6-2, 5-1) mostly struggled to sustain drives.

Louisville posted touchdowns on its last two possessions of the first half, then got field goals of 42, 40 and 49 yards by Brock Travelstead in the third quarter.

Clemson pulled within 26-14 on Phil Mafah's 3-yard run with six minutes left in the game, but Louisville recovered the onside kick and set up Brown's late heroics. Mafah added a 1-yard scoring rush with just over two minutes remaining.

While the Cardinals were building their lead, the Tigers began the second half with a three-and-out, failed to convert a fourth-and-1 on their own 34, and had Nolan Hauser's 24-yard field-goal attempt blocked by D'Angelo Hutchinson. It was the second kick Louisville blocked.

Tyler Shough threw for 156 yards for the Cardinals. Shough and Keyjuan Brown had touchdown runs in the first half.

Mafah rushed 30 times for 171 yards for Clemson, which outgained the visitors 450-366 in total yards and dominated in time of possession 37:52 to 22:08.

Clemson's Cade Klubnik completed 33 of 56 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. His 12-yard scoring pass to Antonio Williams late in the first quarter gave the Tigers their only lead at 7-3.

Louisville then took over with back-to-back touchdowns.

The Cardinals started on their 8-yard line but immediately got a 23-yard run by Isaac Brown. With Louisville soon facing third-and-7 on its 49, the Tigers were flagged for pass interference. Duke Watson later took Shough's short pass and went 31 yards to the 5, and Shough soon rushed 4 yards for a 10-7 lead.

Clemson then marched 50 yards on 10 plays, with 24 yards coming on rush by Mafah, only to see T.J. Quinn block Hauser's 49-yard field goal attempt with 1:43 left in the half.

Taking over at the Clemson 47, the Cardinals scored quickly. Isaac Brown combined for 35 rushing yards on the first two plays, and Keyjuan Brown scored from 1-yard out for a 17-7 lead with 43 seconds remaining before halftime.

Louisville defeated Clemson for the first time in nine meetings since the Cardinals joined the ACC nine years ago.

Louisville linebacker Benjamin Perry, who left the game late in the first quarter with an apparent neck injury, was helped off the field and later put on a stretcher and taken to a hospital in Greenville, S.C., according to the Louisville Sports Network.