Louisville @ Clemson preview

Clemson’s “Death Valley” is one of the more difficult places for visiting teams to play, and the Tigers have prospered on their home field this season. The 25th-ranked Tigers host Louisville on Saturday looking to improve to 4-0 at home after scoring 91 points in back-to-back home triumphs over North Carolina and North Carolina State. The Cardinals have won three games in a row but head coach Bobby Petrino acknowledges Saturday’s contest – the first meeting between Louisville and Clemson – is part of the reason why Louisville wanted to join the ACC.

“These are the types of games that the players we recruit and the guys that are here came to play in,” Petrino said. The Cardinals’ debut ACC campaign has been sparked by one of the strongest defenses in the nation, as Louisville leads the country in holding opponents to 230.2 yards of total offense per game and has 12 interceptions – also tops in the nation. Clemson, which has lost road games to ranked teams (at Georgia, at Florida State), is 3-0 at home this season and averages 491 yards of total offense per contest.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Clemson -10.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (5-1, 3-1 ACC): The Cardinals have started freshman Reggie Bonnafon at quarterback the past two weeks as sophomore Will Gardner recovers from a knee injury suffered Sept. 20 against Florida International. Bonnafon passed for a combined 380 yards with a touchdown and an interception in victories over Wake Forest and Syracuse, and sophomore running back Brandon Radcliff averaged 119.5 yards rushing in the two games. Louisville’s defense has limited opposing rushing attacks to 58.3 yards per game, tops in the country.

ABOUT CLEMSON (3-2, 2-1 ACC): Freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson has solidified himself as the starter, passing for 1,181 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 68.9 percent of his attempts. Wide receiver Mike Williams averages 104 receiving yards per contest and 24.8 yards per reception, catching four touchdowns in five games. Defensive end Victor Beasley ranks second in the nation with seven sacks and is tied with Michael Dean Perry and Gaines Adams for the school’s all-time mark at 28.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Louisville opponents have converted just 23.1 percent on third down, the best mark in the nation.

2. Clemson is 22-2 in its past 24 home games.

3. The Cardinals are 28-4 since the start of 2012.

PREDICTION: Clemson 27, Louisville 17