Miami football gets chance to join ACC title conversation vs. Louisville

After winning their season opener over UAB, Miami football kicks off conference play with a road trip to Louisville to take on the Cardinals.

The D’Eriq King era got off to a good start last Saturday as the Miami Hurricanes opened up the 2020 season with a 31-14 win over the UAB Blazers.

It took a little time for the Hurricanes to get going, but once they shook off the rust, their offense looked as the expectations said it would be. But now they face their first test of the year with a road game against the Louisville Cardinals. Both teams enter this Saturday night fight ranked in the AP Top 25, making this the first game of the season between two ranked opponents.

The Cardinals also opened up their season last Saturday with a win over Western Kentucky, winning 35-21. The Cardinals also have a talented player at quarterback in Micale Cunningham, who looks to lead this Cardinals team to the program’s first-ever ACC Championship. Cunningham passed for 343 yards and totaled four touchdowns in the Cardinals win, getting their conference title run primed and ready to go.

Both teams want to prove that they are for real and rewrite the narratives around their programs and this game will do just that. Here is everything you need to know for the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Louisville Cardinals.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 19
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Cardinal Stadium
TV: ACC
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Miami’s run game was dominant in their season opener, rushing for over 330 yards and three scores. When you have a dual-threat quarterback, the best thing you can do for him is have a run game that opens up the playbook and the field for him. A few big runs by Cam’Ron Harris and King should be enough to keep the Cardinals’ defense as basic as it can get to open up the deep ball and allow the Hurricanes to control the tempo of this game.

For Louisville, they need to attack the Hurricanes’ secondary. UAB saw some success against them and with a quarterback like Cunningham, the Cardinals should have no issue moving the ball down the field through the air. But they will need their run game to step up against this stingy Miami front seven. The Cardinals can win without a successful run game but it would be very beneficial if it could get over 75 years on the game.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of The Action Network

Point Spread: Louisville -2.5
Over/under: 64.5

Prediction

Honestly, this game could go in any team’s favor and in particular, this game could get out of hand for the Hurricanes pretty quickly if they aren’t careful. But Miami is prepared and ready to go toe-to-toe with the Cardinals.

It will be a battle between two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football, as both pick-up multiple touchdowns with their arms and their feet, but the Hurricanes run game is in full effect and helps put the game away late in the fourth. The Hurricanes leave Louisville with the win.

Final Score: Miami 38, Louisville 34