Malik Cunningham

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Scott Satterfieldā€™s third University of Louisville football team has arrived at the closing stretch of the 2021 season in position to write the final narrative of how this team will be judged.

If the Cards fail in their final two regular season games, theyā€™ll finish 5-7 and miss a bowl trip for the second consecutive year.

If they win one, theyā€™ll get to six and earn that bowl game.

If they defeat both Duke and Kentucky, the Cards will guarantee a winning season and end their two-game losing streak against the Wildcats.

If they defeat Duke, UK and their bowl opponent, Louisville will finish 8-5 and regain some of the mojo the Cards lost while going 4-7 last season.

So yes, the next 10 days, starting with the game at Duke on Thursday night, are important to the Cardinals.

TIME: Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, North Carolina.

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN: TV ā€” ESPN (Matt Barrie, play by play; Roddy Jones, analyst; Quint Kessinich, sideline); RADIO ā€” Louisville Sports Properties, WHAS 840 AM (Paul Rogers, play by play; Craig Swabek, analyst; Jody Demling, sideline).

THE LINE: Point spread has Louisville favored by 20; Over/under total points 60.5.

THE LAST TIME: Louisville is 2-0 all-time against the Blue Devils with the last Cardsā€™ victory coming 24-14 in 2016 at Cardinal Stadium.

THE RECORDS: The Cards improved to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the ACC by defeating Syracuse last week. Duke is 3-7 and 0-6. The Blue Devils have lost six straight.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

PLAYER TO WATCH LOUISVILLE: Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham delivered one of the most efficient performances in the nation against Syracuse last week. Cunningham completed 13 of 18 throws for four touchdowns and 209 yards and also ran for another score.

PLAYER TO WATCH DUKE: Blue Devilsā€™ halfback Mataeo Durant ranks second in the ACC in rushing with 1,098 yards in 220 attempts. Durant has posted six 100-yard rushing games, but Virginia Tech limited him Saturday to 33, his lowest total in 15 games.

SIDELINE STORYLINES: Duke coach David Cutcliffe turned 67 in September. With the Blue Devils on an 11-game losing streak in conference play, there has been speculation that Cutcliffe might follow Mike Krzyzewskiā€™s lead and retire after this season or that he could be eased out of the job. He was recently asked about his status by Steven Wiseman of the Raleigh News and Observer and Cutcliffe said this:

ā€œI donā€™t think about job security. How can I do that and do justice to the players that Iā€™m coaching right now? Iā€™m not going there. Iā€™m not upset that you ask the question. Thatā€™s a normal and natural question to ask. But why would I even consider focusing on that? I have a job to do that is directly related to how well I do my job in relation to putting those players in position to win.ā€

R.J. Oben, the son of former U of L and NFL offensive lineman Roman Oben, starts at defensive end for the Blue Devils. Louisville has delivered back-to-back games without a turnover for the first time since Nov. 18 and 25, 2017. Cards linebacker Yasir Abdullah ranks second in the ACC and 12th in the nation with nine sacks.

THE QUOTE: Cutcliffe on the Cards:

ā€œLouisville is an extremely fast team. That would be the one-word description I would give of them, both offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. They are explosive at quarterback. Everybody knows that Malik Cunningham can make plays in multiple ways - scrambles, design runs and certainly an outstanding thrower. They've got speed at receiver, running back and tight end. It's a mostly veteran, really good-looking offensive line. Defensively, just speed in a lot of different ways to go about getting it involved.ā€

THE PICK: Louisville 45, Duke 21.

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