Duke (3-3, 0-2) at No. 7 Louisville (4-1, 2-1 ACC), Friday, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Louisville by 35½.
Series: Louisville leads 1-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Duke aims to follow up its soggy nonconference win over Army with its first Atlantic Coast Conference win. Louisville returns from a bye after losing at No. 3 Clemson seeking a win in hopes of getting back into the national title discussion.
KEY MATCHUP
Duke pass rush vs. Louisville QB Lamar Jackson. The Blue Devils rank in the middle of several ACC categories but are third in sacks with 20, just one behind Clemson and Pittsburgh. They face their biggest threat yet against the Cardinals’ mobile signal caller and Heisman Trophy favorite. Jackson was sacked five times at Clemson but rushed for 162 yards and totaled 457 in total offense along with accounting for three TDs. He has 14 touchdowns each rushing and passing.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Duke: DT A.J. Wolf leads the Blue Devils with five sacks, which is tied for fifth in the ACC. He’s fifth on the team with 53 tackles, including a season-high seven in the win over Army in which Duke held the Black Knights to 165 yards rushing, more than 200 below their FBS-leading average of 374 coming in.
Louisville: CB/KR Jaire Alexander. The sophomore leads the Cardinals with three interceptions, including two against Clemson, along with a forced fumble. He’s also a threat on special teams, averaging a conference-best 15.5 yards per return. Alexander’s highlights including two punt returns for 130 yards against Florida State including a 69-yard TD.
FACTS AND FIGURES
This is the first meeting between the schools since Louisville beat Duke 40-3 in 2002 in Durham, North Carolina. … The Blue Devils’ last road win over a ranked foe was Oct. 11, 2014 at Georgia Tech (31-25). Their last top-10 victory was Sept. 30, 1989 over Clemson (21-17). … Louisville LB James Hearns leads the team with 4.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss and is seventh with 20 stops. … The Cardinals’ 58-point average per game leads the nation. … The Cardinals seek their 500th program victory in 98 seasons with 450 losses and 17 ties.
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AP College Football: collegefootball.ap.org
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