No. 6 Miami, Ward aim to stay unbeaten, reclaim Schnellenberger Trophy in ACC showdown at Louisville
Miami quarterback Cam Ward (1) runs against California during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Credit: AP/Jed Jacobsohn
No. 6 Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC) at No. 22 Louisville (4-2, 2-1), Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (ABC)
BetMGM College Sports Odds: Miami by 5,
Series record: Miami leads 11-4-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Miami comes off a bye among three ACC squads at 2-0 and pursuin g first-place Clemson. The Hurricanes also seek a complete game after rallying for consecutive close victories over Virginia Tech and Cal, the latter of which required a 25-point deficit to overcome. Louisville looks to follow up a 24-20 comeback win at Virginia that ended a two-game slide. The Cardinals look to retain the Schnellenberger Trophy, named for the legendary coach who revived both programs.
KEY MATCHUP
Miami's top-ranked offense averages nearly 584 yards and 48 points per game with challenges to stop through the air and on the ground. The Hurricanes are rushing for 183.8 yards per game and have scored at least 39 points against three Power 4 opponents. Louisville's tackling struggles have created a susceptability to explosive plays, but the Cardinals rank fifth in ACC scoring defense (19.7 points) and sixth in total defense (336 yards). They racked up three sacks against the Cavaliers and are allowing 119.5 yards on the ground.
Louisville running back Isaac Brown (25) carries the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Virginia, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Charlottesville, Va. Credit: AP/Mike Kropf
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Miami: QB Cam Ward is a Heisman Trophy favorite for good reason. He leads the nation in total offense per game and points responsible for, is tied for the FBS lead with 20 touchdown passes, No. 2 with 2,219 yards passing and has thrown for at least 300 yards in all six games this season.
Louisville: RB Isaac Brown has rushed for 508 yards to become the Cardinals' featured back and first freshman with three 100-yard games since Lamar Jackson had five in 2015. He's coming off a 20-carry, 146-yard, two-touchdown performance at Virginia and ranks eighth in the ACC at 84.7 yards per game.
FACTS & FIGURES
Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) looks to make a pass against Virginia during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Charlottesville, Va. Credit: AP/Mike Kropf
Teams ranked in the top six of the AP Top 25 (at the time of the game) are 23-4 this season against unranked opponents. ... Miami is 141-24 all-time as a top-six team, but only 1-2 in its last three such games (one in 2005, two in 2017). ... Miami went 9-0-1 in the first 10 series meetings but is 2-4 against Louisville since. ... The Cardinals haven't allowed a third-quarter TD this season and have outscored opponents 59-12 in the period.
