Recent News | Popular News | Subscribe

FACTS & STATS: Site: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (42,000) -- Louisville, Kentucky. Television: ESPN U. Home Record: Southern Miss 3-0, Louisville 1-1. Away Record: Southern Miss 0-2, Louisville 0-2. Neutral Record: Southern Miss 0-0, Louisville 0-0. Conference Record: Southern Miss 1-1, Louisville 0-1. Series Record: Southern Miss leads, 18-8-1.

GAME NOTES: Former Conference USA foes will square off at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on Saturday night, as the Louisville Cardinals play host to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

The Golden Eagles had been riding an eight-game win streak dating back to last season, but they've now lost two straight. In the last two weeks, they've fallen to Kansas (35-28) and UAB (30-17), both on the road. In fact, all three wins for Southern Miss have come at home.

It will be Homecoming for the Cardinals, who are trying to put the brakes on a three-game slide. Last week, they were routed by Pittsburgh, 35-10, in their Big East Conference opener. The Cardinals resume league play next weekend and will play three of their next four games on the road, so a win this weekend would be a nice confidence booster heading into that stretch.

Southern Miss holds an 18-8-1 edge in the head-to-head series with Louisville, although the teams haven't met since 2002.

On Sunday, Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora announced that quarterback Austin Davis will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ligament in his foot. Davis had thrown a touchdown pass in 12 straight games and was steadily climbing his way up the list of various school passing records. So now the keys of the offense will be turned over to redshirt junior Martevious Young, a strong-armed quarterback with a similar skill set as Davis. The Golden Eagles shouldn't have to alter too much in terms of offensive scheme, however the injury news doesn't stop there. Leading rusher Damion Fletcher (92.8 rushing ypg, four TDs) missed the UAB game with a groin injury, and No. 2 wideout DeAndre Brown (55.7 receiving ypg, one TD) was out with a shoulder injury. Both are listed as questionable for this clash, though they've both practiced this week and according to Fedora, looked pretty good. The Golden Eagles rank second in the conference in total offense (419.8 ypg) and are averaging 32 ppg, but it will be hard to match those kinds of numbers without their top playmakers.

The Southern Miss defense has been air-tight in the second half of games this season. They are holding opponents to 75.8 total yards after halftime, which signifies that the coaching staff has been effective with their locker room adjustments. However, the defense failed to produce a turnover last week against UAB, after going 11 straight games with at least one takeaway. Aside from that, the Golden Eagles were pretty solid against UAB. Blazers quarterback Joe Webb had just 23 passing yards on 6-of-13 passing, though he did run for 138 yards (5.8 ypc) and a touchdown. When they are not facing mobile quarterbacks, the Golden Eagles have been stout against the run. Even after last week's game, they still rank 21st in the nation in run defense, allowing just 95.8 ypg on the ground.

The Louisville offense has gone missing of late, having totaled just 24 points against Utah and Pittsburgh over the last two weeks. And with that sputtering offense, the Cards have now lost eight straight against FBS opponents, dating back to last season. Starting quarterback Justin Burke had to sit out last week because of a bruised sternum. His status is questionable for this weekend. Adam Froman, a juco transfer and former wideout, took his place but faded after a solid start. Froman finished with 166 passing yards and was sacked six times. He made some plays with his legs to avoid pressure and was able to guide the Cardinals to an early 10-7 lead. But the Cardinals were not able to score in five second-half drives, as Pitt pulled away.

Louisville has allowed at least 30 points in three straight games. And unlike the Southern Miss defense, the Cardinals collapsed in the second half last week as they allowed the Panthers to tack on 28 straight points after halftime. Pitt went on to convert 5-of-9 third downs and amass 404 yards of total offense. Panthers' quarterback Bill Stull picked apart the Louisville secondary, as he completed 70 percent of his passes and tossed three touchdowns. The front seven needs to do a better job of getting pressure in the backfield, as they notched just one sack and rarely hurried Stull. On the season, the Cardinals rank 83rd in the nation in sacks (six) and 109th in tackles for loss (4.0 per game). Senior linebacker Jon Dempsey leads the team with 43 tackles and two sacks, but there haven't been many other playmakers on the defense.

If both teams were perfectly healthy and meeting at a neutral site, Southern Miss would match up pretty well with Louisville. But the Golden Eagles will be playing on the road and have some key injury concerns on offense. The Cardinals are also down to their backup, assuming Burke isn't able to suit up. It might not be the prettiest game to watch, but in the end, expect Louisville to find a way to get it done.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Louisville 27, Southern Miss 17