PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Puma Pass has been in and out of the lineup, but he has been more consistent in recent weeks. He threw for a career-best 358 yards and had 392 yards of total offense Saturday vs. Wake Forest. The 6-foot-4, 231-pound sophomore from Columbus, Ga., has thrown for 1,587 yards and seven touchdowns this season while completing 55 percent of his passes with eight interceptions.
–WR TuTu Atwell was tremendous vs. Wake Forest, setting a Louisville record for the most receiving yards in a game by a true freshman with 132. It was also the most receiving yards for a Louisville player this season. The 5-9, 156-pound true freshman from Miami is one of the fastest players on the team.
–WR Jaylen Smith is Louisville’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 373 yards and a touchdown. The 6-4, 220-pound Pascagoula, Miss., native was a preseason All-ACC pick.
–S Dee Smith leads Louisville in tackles with 51, 25 solo and 26 assists. He also has 1.5 TFLs and a half sack through eight games. The 6-1, 208-pound senior from Florence, Ala., has also broken up a pass and has a QB hurry.
SERIES HISTORY: Clemson leads the overall series 4-0 with the games split evenly — two Tiger wins in Louisville and two at Clemson. The Tigers beat Louisville 47-21 last September.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We are very young. There was no question about that, and very inexperienced on defense. I think offensively it took us a little longer to get started than I thought it would. We just haven’t been able to match people when they’ve scored, and we haven’t been able to outscore them.” — Louisville coach Bobby Petrino
