Louisville @ Florida International preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2011 ) Florida International 24, Louisville 17

There aren’t any reasons for No. 18 Louisville to look past Florida International in Miami on Saturday. The Cardinals dropped a 24-17 decision to the Golden Panthers in Louisville last season and are coming off an uninspiring second half in the 39-34 victory over North Carolina. The Cardinals hope to get back to the balanced, mistake-free offense which helped them sprint to a 29-point halftime lead last week. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater goes home to Miami to try and continue his efficient play for the Cardinals. The sophomore has completed 81.8 percent of his passes, with five touchdowns and no interceptions. FIU can score points, but the Golden Panthers will have to come up with a big effort on defense. FIU has allowed 39 points per contest against three teams not getting votes in the national polls.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com. LINE: Louisville -13.5

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (3-0): The Cardinals are off to a great start in part due to their depth. Twelve different players have caught a pass, five scoring one touchdown each, and three have registered at least 129 receiving yards. Louisville has rushed for eight scores, which took 10 games to accomplish in 2011. Bridgewater has thrown for 855 yards despite being sacked eight times. The Cardinals have been without their top returning rusher Dominique Brown (knee), but Jeremy Wright and Senorise Perry have combined to run for 528 yards and seven touchdowns. Louisville’s defense has been inconsistent, but it made a big stop when needed last week.

ABOUT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (1-2): The Golden Panthers will likely have to find a way to cause turnovers to shock Louisville again. If FIU can get the ball in its offense’s hands enough, it could make things interesting. Kedrick Rhodes, questionable with a leg injury, and Darian Mallary have combined for 389 yards rushing. Mallary has scored five times, tied for the most ever by an FIU player through three games. Quarterback Jake Medlock has thrown for 711 yards – most ever by an FIU quarterback in the first three games -- and four touchdowns without an interception. Wayne Times is his top target with 17 receptions and 182 yards.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Louisville had a season-best 446 yards of offense in the loss to FIU last year.

2. Senior safety Johnathan Cyprien has set an FIU record in career tackles with 304, passing linebacker Scott Bryant (302).

3. Louisville has 34 players from Florida on the roster and 17 from the Miami-Dade County area.

PREDICTION: Louisville 38, FIU 14.