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The Syracuse Orange have had a week off and are no doubt ready to get back on the field. 'Cuse and the Louisville Cardinals will face off in an ACC battle at noon ET on Saturday at Cardinal Stadium. The Orange will be strutting in after a victory while U of L will be stumbling in from a defeat.
'Cuse had enough points to win and then some against the Boston College Eagles two weeks ago, taking their contest 21-6. RB Sean Tucker had a stellar game for 'Cuse as he rushed for one TD and 207 yards on 26 carries. That touchdown -- a 51-yard rush in the third quarter -- was one of the highlights of the game.
'Cuse's defense was a presence as well, as it got past BC's offensive line to sack the QB five times for a total loss of 34 yards. Leading the way was DL Kingsley Jonathan and his three sacks. Jonathan now has 4.5 sacks this season.
Meanwhile, it was all tied up 17-17 at halftime, but the Cardinals were not quite the Clemson Tigers' equal in the second half when they met last week. U of L didn't finish too far behind, but the squad still lost 30-24 to Clemson. A silver lining for U of L was the play of QB Malik Cunningham, who accumulated 174 passing yards in addition to rushing for two TDs and 134 yards. One of the most memorable plays of the matchup was Cunningham's 51-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter.
'Cuse is expected to lose this next one by 3. Bettors make note: they are flawless against the spread this season.
The Orange are now 5-4 while the Cardinals sit at a mirror-image 4-5. Two stats to keep an eye on: 'Cuse is 192nd worst in the nation in passing yards per game, with only 167.4 on average. U of L has experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the contest with the 204th most passing yards allowed per game in the nation, having given up 275 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
