Gameday Guide: Clemson vs. Louisville TV details and more

The No. 5 Clemson Tigers football team will host an ACC showdown against a Louisville team that has vaulted to No. 3 in the country behind a powerful offense and upset of Florida State.

Who: Clemson (4-0) vs. Louisville (4-0)

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson (81,500)

TV: ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Sam Ponder, Tom Rinaldi)

Radio: WZMJ-FM 93.1 FM in Columbia area, Clemson Radio Network

Satellite radio: SiriusXM 81

Series record: Clemson leads 2-0

Line: Louisville by 2

What’s at stake

Up for grabs: the driver’s seat in the ACC Atlantic Division, status as conference favorite and control of each team’s destiny in the race for a playoff spot. If Clemson wins, it still has to get through Florida State. If Louisville comes out on top, it has head-to-head wins over the other two ACC contenders.

The teams, by the numbers

Three Game Storylines

1. Bigger than projected. The most optimistic prognosticators suggested this might be an intriguing and sneaky-great match-up. Now it’s a battle of top-5 teams and possibly the biggest game of the season thus far.

2. Jackson’s charge. Lamar Jackson is doing what many projected Deshaun Watson could do, and then some. The sophomore secured his September Heisman with startling numbers, but he’ll have to face Clemson’s star-studded defensive front.

3. A sneaky defense. The Tigers offense looked better against Georgia Tech, but still left points on the field as the defense carried the team. If things don’t come together, it could be an issue against a Cardinals defense led by a top-flight pass rush.

Three Players to Watch - Clemson

1. Quarterback Deshaun Watson put up his best day in terms of raw yardage with 304 yards against Georgia Tech, but he needed 48 passes to do it. His 996 yards, nine scores and four interceptions have come on 6.6 yards per attempt, 1.7 worse than last year.

2. Running back Wayne Gallman will need to deliver something after underwhelming and grinding his way through the past three games. He hasn’t broken a run longer than 12 yards since the opener and has 256 yards and three scores on 4.1 yards a carry.

3. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence ate Georgia Tech’s option offense alive, posting eight tackles and blowing up play after play. The highly-rated freshman is second on the Tigers with 28 tackles, along with 3 1/2 tackles for loss and seven QB pressures.

Three Players to Watch - Louisville

1. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has done just about everything possible. He’s thrown for 1,330 yards and 13 scores, run for 526 yards and 12 more touchdowns. Jackson alone has 112 fewer rushing yards than Clemson as a team, and is averaging more yards than all but 29 teams.

2. The Cardinals are loaded with playmakers, but running back Brandon Radcliff stands out a hint more with 427 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 9.3 yards per carry.

3. Linebacker James Hearns was just another guy in Louisville’s dynamic pass rush a year ago, but he’s taken a step forward, from 12 tackles total to 4 1/2 sacks in four games (good for seventh nationally). He stands out on a roster with former TCU pass rushing star Devonte Fields.

Rosters, Team Stats

Roster links: Clemson | Louisville

Team Stats: Clemson | Louisville

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Gameday Guide: Clemson vs. Louisville TV details and more."