Florida State @ Louisville preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2015 ) Louisville 21, Florida State 41

Lamar Jackson has compiled 1,015 yards of total offense and accounted for 13 touchdowns in less than two full games for Louisville, so it goes without saying Florida State wouldn't mind having all hands on deck defensively. Unfortunately, that won't be the case for the second-ranked Seminoles on Saturday, when they visit the 10th-ranked Cardinals.

Florida State rolled to a 52-8 victory over FCS foe Charleston Southern last weekend, but it came at a substantial price as preseason All-American sophomore safety Derwin James suffered a cartilage tear in his left knee, sidelining him indefinitely. Although the Seminoles will be shorthanded defensively, they should have more than enough firepower on the other side of the ball to stick with FBS' highest-scoring team thus far, as running back Dalvin Cook has already accounted for 284 total yards and two touchdowns in limited action. While Cook has done nothing to hurt his campaign for the Heisman Trophy, Jackson has raced out to an early lead in that regard by ranking third in the country in rushing (318 yards) and eighth in passing (697) while leading Louisville to an average of 66 points in routs over Charlotte and Syracuse. The Cardinals will also be seeking revenge after losing halftime leads against the Seminoles in each of their first two clashes as conference rivals, getting outscored by a combined 70-24 in the second half.
TV: Noon ET, ABC. LINE: Florida State -2.

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (2-0, 0-0 ACC): James played near the line of scrimmage and received much of the credit for holding Jackson to only 32 yards rushing in last season's 41-21 win - a "spy" role that could fall into the lap of linebacker Matthew Thomas this time around. Junior Travis Rudolph burned Charleston Southern for seven catches, 105 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, allowing him to earn the second ACC Receiver of the Week award of his career and become the fifth Seminole to win a conference player of the week award this season. Cook tallied 192 yards from scrimmage in the opener against Ole Miss before settling for 92 in a little over two quarters last week, but he amassed 223 total yards in last year's meeting.
ABOUT LOUISVILE (2-0, 1-0): Jackson set an ACC record with 610 total yards of offense last week versus the Orange and became the first player in FBS history to record over 400 yards passing (411) and 175 yards (199) in the same game, helping the Cardinals set another school record with 845 total yards. Jackson and Brandon Radcliff (156) each topped 100 yards rushing, while receivers Jamari Staples (136) and James Quick (108) each went over 100 yards receiving, giving Louisville its first pair of 100-yard rushers and 100-yard receivers in the same game. The Cardinals are averaging a FBS-best 754 yards of total offense - 138 more than Baylor's top-ranked offense from a season ago and 338 more than Louisville averaged in 2015.

EXTRA POINTS
1. The Cardinals have won only two of 16 meetings in this series and are 1-5 at home against the Seminoles, collecting their only such victory in 2002.
2. Florida State has allowed more 20-plus-yard pass plays than any team in a Power 5 conference (11), while Louisville leads the nation with the most such plays (15).
3. Seminoles senior safety Nate Andrews, who has missed the first two games of his career with a calf injury, is expected to return this week.

PREDICTION: Louisville 45, Florida State 41