The Louisville Cardinals host the Duke Blue Devils in Week 9 NCAA football action this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. This high-powered ACC matchup pits No. 18 Louisville (6-1, 3-1 ACC) against surprising No. 20 Duke (5-2, 2-1), which beat Clemson earlier this season and hung tough in matchups against Notre Dame and Florida State. Louisville is a -point home favorite, and the game has an over/under line of points.
Below, we take a closer look at Saturday’s Duke vs. Louisville matchup, with info on the odds, betting lines, and props for the Week 9 college football game.
Louisville looking to bounce back
After taking their first loss this season — 38-21 to Pittsburgh — the Cardinals had a bye week. Lead running back Jawhar Jordan injured his hamstring in that ACC matchup and is questionable for Saturday, with Maurice Turner and Isaac Guerendo ready to step in as necessary. Louisville may have to lean on its defense, which has allowed just 3.1 yards per carry (17th in FBS) and forced 1.8 takeaways per game (23rd in FBS) this season.
Ankle injury to Duke quarterback Riley Leonard
Duke led, 20-17, over No. 4 Florida State when Riley Leonard aggravated his ankle injury and had to leave the game. Henry Belin IV stepped in for Leonard and is now 13-for-26 passing for 232 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in spot action this season. Duke employs a run-heavy offense with a modest 43.3% pass-play rate but may have to air it out against Louisville’s rush defense.
Duke rush defense versus Louisville ground game
Even if Jordan is inactive, Louisville may lean on its ground game to protect quarterback Jack Plummer from making key mistakes against Duke’s opportunistic defense. Plummer committed three turnovers in Pittsburgh’s territory to flip that game, and Duke is holding opposing passers to just 5.4 yards per attempt (fifth in FBS) on a 58.7% completion rate. Duke’s defense is second in FBS in terms of denying touchdowns in the red zone, so Louisville might need to get creative to finish drives.
Louisville’s front seven versus Duke’s offensive line
Whether Leonard plays through his ankle injury or Belin steps in again, Duke will face a talented defensive front. Louisville has impressive talent and depth across the defensive line and is holding opponents to 97.7 rushing yards, with linebacker Jaylin Alderman leading the way out of a 4-2-5 formation. Louisville led all of FBS with 3.85 sacks per game last season and is down to 2.14 sacks per game this year, but it could find some advantageous matchups against Duke.
Duke vs. Louisville odds and betting lines
Duke vs. Louisville injury report
In addition to Jawhar Jordan (hamstring), Louisville could be without offensive lineman Renato Brown and cornerback Jarvis Brownlee in this contest. Brown was injured during pregame warmups, and Brownlee left the loss to Pittsburgh in the second quarter.
Riley Leonard aggravated his ankle injury against Florida State and is questionable for this contest. The Blue Devils played without receiver Eli Pancol and tight end Nicky Dalmolin last weekend.
