LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Wake Forest is the defending champion in the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division, as well as the second-highest ranked team in the league this season.
The Demon Deacons come to town this weekend ranked tied for 10th (with USC) in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Cardinals have not defeated a Top 10 opponent in six years.
The movement in the point spread for the Wake-Louisville game suggests the Cards are primed to deliver a big moment Saturday. After opening with Wake favored by 5 1/2 points, the number dropped to 4 1/2 Monday and then to 3 1/2 Wednesday.
After dominating Virginia and handling Pittsburgh, Scott Satterfield's team will try to deliver a defining win of this season against coach Dave Clawson and Wake.
TIME: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; Cardinal Stadium, Louisville
WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN: TV— ACC Network (Wes Durham, play by play; Eric MacLain, analyst; Taylor Davis, sidelines); RADIO — Louisville Sports Network, 93.9 FM in Louisville; (Paul Rogers, play by play; Jody Demling, analyst; Preston Brown, sidelines).
THE LINE: Point spread Wake Forest by 3 1/2; Over/under total points scored 62. Number listed at DraftKings as of noon Wednesday.
THE LAST TIME: Wake defeated U of L, 37-34 in Winston-Salem, N.C. last season as quarterback Sam Hartman passed for two touchdowns and ran for another.
THE SERIES: The Cards lead 6 games to 3, starting with their 24-13 victory in the 2007 Orange Bowl.
THE RECORDS: Wake Forest moved into a tie for 10th with USC in the Associated Press Top 25 by routing Boston College, 43-15, last Saturday. The Demon Deacons are 6-1 and have won three straight since losing to ACC leader Clemson, 51-45, in double overtime. Louisville is 4-3 and chasing its first 3-game winning streak this season.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐩𝐞: Pitt#GoCards pic.twitter.com/2GXhqRJjVP
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) October 25, 2022
PLAYER TO WATCH WAKE FOREST: Quarterback Sam Hartman ranks second in the ACC in passing yards per game (293) while throwing 21 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions. In four career games against the Cards Hartman has 8 TD passes and 2 picks. Hartman leads all active FBS quarterbacks with 93 TD passes.
PLAYER TO WATCH LOUISVILLE: Louisville linebacker Yasir Abdullah was named ACC linebacker of the week after a dazzling performance in the Cards' 24-10 victory over Pitt last Saturday. Abdullah had seven tackles, forced a fumble and grabbed an interception, making plays behind the line of scrimmage as well as in the secondary.
SIDELINE STORYLINES: Jeff Sagarin's computer power formula favors Wake by 4.07 points … for the first time since the 2000 season, Louisville has forced at least three turnovers in four consecutive games … Cards' linebacker Monty Montgomery ranks fourth in the nation with three forced fumbles … Wake is one of four ranked teams that the Cards will play in their final five games. The Cards are the only Power 5 team with four ranked teams remaining on their schedule … Wake has scored 290 points in seven games, which is the second-most in program history at that point in the season. Wake also ranks 10th national in scoring offense at 41.4 points per game … the Demon Deacons have won their last 12 October games … the Cards have six players from the state of North Carolina while Wake receiver Jackson Hensley (Pikeville) is the program's only Kentuckian. A freshman, Hensley has no receptions but has returned one punt this season.
THE QUOTE: Wake coach Dave Clawson was effusive in his praise of U of L defenders Abdullah and Yaya Diaby:
"On defense, they've got seven guys that are really returning starters for them. It starts with the two defensive ends. Those guys are both All-ACC caliber players. (Yaya) Diaby and (Yasir) Abdullah. If you watch the Pitt game, those two guys really took the game over. They're extremely disruptive."
THE PICK: Wake Forest 34, Louisville 28.
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