PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Puma Pass has been in and out of the lineup. He threw for a career-best 358 yards and had 392 yards of total offense vs. Wake Forest, but was held in check by Clemson. The 6-foot-4, 231-pound sophomore from Columbus, Ga., has thrown for 1,697 yards and seven touchdowns this season while completing 54.5 percent of his passes with 10 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. But the 5-9, 156-pound true freshman from Miami had just two catches for 44 yards vs. Clemson.
–WR Jaylen Smith is Louisville’s leading receiver with 29 catches for 436 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 52, 26 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: Louisville leads the overall series 10-6 with the Cardinals holding a 5-3 lead in games played in the Carrier Dome. Louisville beat Syracuse 56-10 last season on Nov. 18.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Short week, so we’re getting ready for Friday night to go to Syracuse. Their offense is very explosive. They score a lot of points up there in the dome inside. Quarterback that we know really well — he can do a lot: run the ball, throw the ball, get the ball out of his hand quick, so that’s a great challenge for us.” — Louisville coach Bobby Petrino.