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Carrie Stroup here with your Miami vs. Louisville betting line that has the Cardinals as a -2.5 favorite. Be sure to claim your FREE $100 BET at Sportsbook.com here and remember you can wager on every play of this game right up to the final minute with LIVE IN-PLAY BETTING.
Sportsbook.ag Line: Louisville -3.5 & 57
Opening Line & Total: Cardinals -2.5 & 56
Two schools that were once ranked in the top-10 in the country this year collide in Saturday's Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando when an unranked Miami team will take on No. 18 Louisville in what will likely be star QB Teddy Bridgewater’s final collegiate game.
After a 7-0 start to the season, the Hurricanes lost three straight to Florida State, Virginia Tech and Duke before closing the season out with back-to-back wins against Virginia and Pittsburgh. They really missed star RB Duke Johnson (ankle), one of the country’s premier rushing threats who went down midway through the year. They finished the season 5-7 ATS. Playing a weak schedule, the Cardinals lost just one game this year, going down 38-35 to UCF in the middle of the season. They rebounded well to win their final five games of the year, including an overtime thriller in the finale against Cincinnati. Like the Tar Heels, they also went 5-7 ATS. Their schedule will likely get tougher in future seasons as they join Miami in the ACC next year. These two teams have met twice since 1992, splitting the two games while the Cardinals covered in both.
Without Johnson, more of the Miami offense has fallen on QB Stephen Morris (2,868 pass yards, 21 TD, 12 INT) who has a strong enough arm to complete any pass, though he can be extremely inconsistent. Overall, he’s completing 58.7% of his passes. Allen Huns (60 catches, 1,138 yards, six TD) has been there as his No. 1 option all season while Stacy Coley leads the team with seven touchdowns, adding 559 yards on his 30 catches. Both of those receivers have TD receptions of longer than 80 yards. On the ground, Dallas Crawford (523 rush yards, 4.2 YPC, 12 TD) has taken over since Johnson’s season ended. Though he’s had his moments, he averaged just 2.6 YPC in the team’s final two games of the season. Miami’s defense allowed a poor 4.5 YPC and a mediocre 7.1 yards per pass attempt.
Louisville had one of the nation’s best scoring defenses, giving up only 12.4 PPG, third fewest in Division-I. And its passing offense also ranked among the best, throwing for 303 YPG, 18th-most in FBS. Bridgewater (3,523 pass yards, 28 TD, 4 INT) will likely be a top pick in the NFL Draft after putting up incredible numbers again this year, tallying 9.2 yards per pass attempt. He distributes the ball pretty evenly, though DeVante Parker (46 catches, 743 yards) leads the team with 11 TD. Damian Copeland (52 catches, 690 yards) and Eli Rogers (41 catches, 498 yards) are also threats in the passing game. On the ground, Dominique Brown (783 yards, 5.3 YPC, 8 TD) and Senorise Perry (631 yards, 4.7 YPC, 6 TD) share the ball-carrying duties, with Brown scoring four touchdowns in the team’s last three games. The Cardinals defense has been stout all season, allowing a mere 12.4 PPG (3rd in nation). They give up a miniscule 86 rushing YPG on 2.7 YPC, while allowing only 172 passing YPG on 6.0 YPA and 51% completions.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com
