No. 3 Louisville looks to snap Houston's home winning streak

Posted November 17, 2016 6:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 3 Louisville (9-1, No. 5 CFP) at Houston (8-2), 8 p.m. Thursday (ESPN)

Line: Louisville by 14.

Series Record: Series tied 8-8.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Louisville needs a win to remain in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. The Cardinals moved from No. 6 to fifth in the CFP rankings this week. A victory by Houston would extend its home winning streak to 15 games and help salvage a season that began with much promise before losses to two unranked teams.

KEY MATCHUP

Louisville QB Lamar Jackson vs. Houston's pass defense. The Heisman Trophy favorite has been nearly unstoppable this season, throwing for 2,898 yards and 27 touchdowns and running for 1,334 yards and 19 more scores, which leads the nation. He needs just 95 yards to break the school record for yards rushing in a season and is the seventh player in NCAA history and first since 2013 to throw for more than 2,800 yards and run for at least 1,300 in a season. This week he'll face a defense that ranks ninth in the nation by allowing 303.3 yards a game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Louisville: RB Brandon Radcliff. He ran for 141 yards and a career-high three touchdowns last week in his ninth career multi-touchdown game. He has 768 yards rushing and six touchdowns this season.

Houston: QB Greg Ward. He has been dealing with a shoulder injury for most of the season that he aggravated on Saturday against Tulane, but coach Tom Herman said he'll be ready to play Thursday. Ward has thrown for 2,608 yards with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions and has run for 429 yards and nine more scores.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Cougars have won their last five games against ranked opponents and their last three against teams in the top-10. ... Houston freshman Ed Oliver is first in the nation among defensive linemen with six pass breakups and has 55 tackles, including 16 1/2 for losses. ... Louisville TE Cole Hikutini has 38 receptions for 526 yards and six touchdowns. ... Cougars LB Tyus Bowser had a career-high 11 tackles, including three sacks, which were also a career-best last week. ... Louisville LB Devonte Fields tied a career-high with three sacks last week. ... Cardinals CB Ronald Walker scored the team's first defensive touchdown of the season on an interception return on Saturday.

___

AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.