By Mike Gilpatrick–
The Cardinals (8-1, 6-1) take on bowl-eligible ACC foe Wake Forest Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
Demon defense, tame offense
The Deacons have held opponents to 18.4 points this season, including a loss against Florida State where they limited the Seminoles to 17 points.
Wake Forest’s best unit is their front seven. Not only do they hold opponents to 130 rushing yards per game, but they’ve thrashed opponent’s offensive lines. Led by DE Duke Ejifor, the Demon Deacons have racked up 27 sacks this season, along with 63 tackles for losses.
Their offense is a different story. They are 119th overall, averaging 21.3 points per game and scoring less than 21 on four occasions, with season-low six points in the game against Florida State.
Their offense relies on the rush. Behind sophomore RB Matt Colburn, the Demon Deacons have 1,476 yards on the ground on 370 attempts.
Key match-ups
This matchup will come down to whether or not the Louisville line can hold the Deacons. If they can, it will give Lamar Jackson time to pick a receiver and light up the scoreboard. If not, the Cards will take it to the ground.
The one part of Wake Forest’s defense that is not as good is the secondary. The Deacons rank in the middle of the FBS in passing defense, allowing 238.8 yards per game. Since the Deacons are good at stopping the run, it may very well come down to the receivers downfield. With the amount of weapons that Lamar Jackson has at his disposal, expect Louisville to win in this match-up.
Final verdict
This game will start out relatively close, with the Cards pulling away in the second half. The line heavily favors Louisville, and there is no reason to go against it. Final score: Louisville 38, Wake Forest 10.
File photo / The Louisville Cardinal
