No. 17 Miami visits No. 18 Louisville in prime-time showdown

Posted September 17, 2020 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

Miami tight end Brevin Jordan (9) and quarterback D'Eriq King (1) display their touchdown rings in the third quarter during an NCAA college football game against UAB in Miami Gardens, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP) The Associated Press

No. 17 Miami (Fla.) (1-0) at No. 18 Louisville (1-0), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC).

Line: Louisville by 2 1/2.

Series Record: Miami leads 10-3-1.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Both schools seek to begin a 10-game Atlantic Coast Conference slate with a win. Miami looks to follow up last year's 52-27 rout of Louisville, which the Cardinals can avenge with their fourth series win in five meetings. Both are coming off big non-conference wins: The Hurricanes topped UAB 31-14 last Thursday while the Cardinals ran past Western Kentucky 35-21.

KEY MATCHUP

Louisville's receivers vs. Miami's secondary. Sophomore Braden Smith and senior Dez Fitzpatrick each caught four passes for 110 yards in the opener, with Fitzpatrick scoring a 70-yard TD. Top returning receiver Tutu Atwell also had a team-high seven receptions for 78 yards. They'll face a Hurricanes secondary featuring juniors Al Blades Jr., son of the late former UM standout safety, and D.J. Ivey. Each had three tackles against UAB, with Blades breaking up two passes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Miami: QB D'Eriq King. The fifth-year senior transferred from Houston and faces high expectations after accounting for 6,346 yards of offense (4,925 passing) and 78 touchdowns (50 passing) in just 22 games with the Cougars. He debuted with 224 offensive yards and two TDs against UAB, including 141 yards and a TD on 15-of-23 passing.

Louisville: QB Micale Cunningham. The junior hit six targets on the way to throwing for a career-best 343 yards and three of his four TDs against WKU. Last season he passed for career highs of 2,065 yards and 22 TDs and established a program season record for passing efficiency at 194.45.

FACTS & FIGURES

Miami is 4-2 in Louisville. ... Former Temple DE Quincy Roche registered his 27th career sack in his Hurricanes debut after transferring. ... Miami rushed for 337 yards against UAB, including 134 by Cam'Ron Harris with two TDs on 17 carries. ... Cardinals tight end Ean Pfeifer caught a 28-yard TD pass against WKU and became the program's first player with TDs on his first three receptions. ... Smith was named ACC receiver of the week and is the first Cardinal to debut with 100 yards receiving since Deion Branch (123) in the 2000 opener against Kentucky.

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Miami quarterback D'Eriq King (1) leaps for a second-quarter touchdown against UAB during an NCAA college football game in Miami Gardens, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP) The Associated Press

FILE - Louisville quarterback Micale Cunningham (3) plays against Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Last August, Micale Cunningham was recovering from a preseason knee injury that put him behind Jawon Pass on the depth chart. He returned to replace an injured Pass at midseason and didn't look back, passing for 2,065 yards and 22 TDs in 11 starts. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield, left, and quarterback Micale Cunningham (3) celebrate in the final moments of the fourth quarter of Louisville's win over Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Louisville won 38-28. Initially looking to rebuild from a dismal two-win 2018 campaign that forced a coaching change, the Cardinals quickly became respectable and competitive in Scott Satterfield's first year as coach. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) The Associated Press

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