How to watch | SMU at Louisville: TV, Point Spread, Storylines | Louisville Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville will get its first look at the new (and perhaps) improved portion of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday when the Cards host SMU.

After competing in the American Athletic Conference for the past 11 seasons, SMU joined Stanford and California as new members of the ACC this season. Last Saturday they won their ACC debut against Florida State.

The Mustangs are a trendy pick heading into the ACC title game as Louisville is the only ranked opponent left on their schedule. SMU will not play Clemson or Miami (Florida) this season.

Although Louisville remains the touchdown favorite in Las Vegas, Jeff Sagarin's computer formula puts the lead at 3.76 points. SMU boosters have pumped significant NIL resources into coach Rhett Lashlee's program.

The time: Saturday, noon, L&N Cardinal Stadium.

How to watch/listen: TV – ESPN with Bob Wischusen in play-by-play mode; Louis Riddick analyst and Kris Budden on the sidelines; RADIO – Louisville Sports Properties, 93.9 The Ville with Paul Rogers on play-by-play; Craig Swabek analyst and Jody Demling, the sideline reporter.

The line: Point distribution Louisville with a 7 point lead; Over/Under total score is 56.

The last time: TThe teams haven't played since 1984, when the Mustangs, coached by Bobby Collins, defeated the Cardinals, coached by Bob Weber, 41-7 in front of 26,589 fans at the old Cardinal Stadium in the Fairgrounds.

The series: SMU also defeated U of L 24-6 in 1983, winning the only two meetings between the programs. SMU is a first-year member of the Atlantic Coach Conference, although the school is 1,026 miles from the ACC office in Charlotte, N.C

The records: The Mustangs have wins over Nevada, Houston Christian, TCU and Florida State with a road loss to BYU by three points. The Cards began the season with wins against Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Georgia Tech before losing by a touchdown last week at Notre Dame.

Player to watch SMU: Quarterback Kevin Jennings, who wears No. 9, is a dual-threat who was more dangerous when passing the ball. In the Mustangs' last two games, Jennings has thrown five touchdown passes without an interception. Jennings has averaged 9 carries but only scored once in SMU's last three games while averaging 30 yards per game.

Player to watch for Louisville: Tyler Shough is the guy Lashlee and his defense fear. Shough has the third-best QB rating in the ACC, averaging nearly 279 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against a single interception.

Subplots:

• The SMU defense ranks first in the nation with 14 turnovers.
• SMU halfback Brashard Smith ranks in the top 10 in the country in touchdowns (7), all-purpose yards (151.2) and yards per carry (7.27).
• SMU kicker Collin Rogers ranks second nationally with 11 field goals. He is 4 of 6 on shots of 50 yards or more.
• The Mustangs have won 13 of their last 15 games, losing to Boston College last season and BYU this season.
• U of L kicker Brock Travelstead has 4 of 7 field goals this season and sets a school record 56 yards rushing at Notre Dame.
• The Cards are 10-1 at L&N Cardinal Stadium during the Jeff Brohm era and lost to Kentucky in the final game of the 2023 season.
• Louisville is one of six teams ranked in the top 20 nationally in both total offense and defense. This group also includes Miami, Ohio State, Texas, Indiana and Penn State.
• U of L quarterback Tyler Shough has thrown at least two touchdown passes in every game. The last U of L quarterback to do this was Lamar Jackson in the final four games of the 2017 season.

The quote: Lashlee was asked about U of L quarterback Tyler Shough and the Cards' offense:

“He plays with a lot of confidence – 11 touchdowns to 1 interception. He has great weapons, including Ja'Corey Brooks, who we recruited when I was in Miami. He went to Alabama and then transferred to Louisville, and he's a super talented guy. They have some guys playing at a high level and coach (Jeff) Brohm is known for developing quarterbacks.”

The choice: Louisville 31, SMU 27.

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