Clemson vs. Louisville: Preview, predictions, TV schedule and more

CLEMSON, SC - OCTOBER 01: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Louisville Cardinals looks to avoid the tackle of Ryan Carter #31 of the Clemson Tigers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 02: Louisville Cardinals cornerback Jaire Alexander (10) warms up before the college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Louisville Cardinals on September 2, 2017, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Keys for Louisville

As we did for the Tigers, we’ll start with what the Louisville defense has to do in this game. Put simply, they need to avoid giving up big plays to this Clemson offense. Though Bryant is inexperienced at quarterback, the weapons that he has around him are all capable of breaking open the big one, especially the receivers on the outside. Both Deon Cain and Ray-Ray McCloud are big-time playmakers in terms of how they can stretch the field.

Last week in the victory over North Carolina, the Louisville secondary proved to be susceptible to giving up big chunks of yardage. The Tar Heels had six receivers with a catch of 16 or more yards, including four receivers with catches of 23 yards or more. Potential first-round draft pick Jaire Alexander has to lock up Cain and make sure the speedy wideout doesn’t get behind him and to also come up and make tackles to avoid him getting loose. Trumaine Washington opposite of Alexander will be under the spotlight even more on McCloud and company.

When it comes to the Louisville offense, however, there are two big keys. First, while Clemson needs to stay disciplined on defense when bringing pressure, the offensive line has to hold up better than they have to this point. Early against UNC, the Cardinals line was a fortress for Jackson to work as he pleased. However, they wore down noticeably as the game went on. Yes, the offense still had success, but that spoke more to the quarterback’s ability than anything else. This Tigers defensive front is far better than the Tar Heels. As such, the big men up front need to step up.

Then there’s Jackson. If the Cardinals are going to win, he obviously needs to play like a Heisman Trophy winner. With that being said, his biggest key isn’t rushing for a ridiculous total or even making deep throws for long scores. Put simply, he needs to remain efficient throwing the ball. It’s clear that he put work into this in the offseason as he’s completed 64.7 percent of his attempts this season compared to 56.2 percent last year. To keep the offense in control and in-rhythm, that must continue.

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