Louisville football vs. NC State: 3 things to know before the game, plus a prediction

Louisville football’s first four-game winning streak since 2016 came to an end Saturday when the Cardinals fell on the road against No. 12 Clemson 31-16.

Still, the Cardinals have won four games in a rigorous back half of their schedule and earned bowl eligibility in the process. The latest projection from USA Today has the Cardinals playing Tulane in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28 in Annapolis, Maryland.

Before bowl season begins, U of L will close out ACC play by facing No. 24 North Carolina State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Cardinal Stadium.

“We want to obviously get a win to guarantee a winning season,” Cardinals coach Scott Satterfield said. “You get this win, (it’s) seven wins. It's big, and an opportunity to go out and win our last ACC game this year, so there's a lot riding on the game. We want to finish the season strong.”

Here are three questions heading into Louisville’s season home finale:

Who will rebound?

Both Louisville and NC State come into Saturday’s contest on the heels of losses to the Tigers and Boston College, respectively. Where the Cardinals’ defeat came decisively on the road, the Wolfpack’s loss was by one point (21-20) and ended the team’s 16-game home winning streak. It was also only BC’s second win in conference play after it beat U of L almost two months ago at home 34-33.

Lessons learned:Louisville football's loss to Clemson isn't cause for panic like previous losses.

Neither team has lost consecutive games this season. When NC State lost to No. 9 Clemson and Syracuse, it rebounded with respective wins over Florida State (19-17) and Virginia Tech (22-21). Likewise, Louisville’s losses to Syracuse and Florida State were followed by wins over Group of 5 teams UCF (20-14) and USF (41-3). The Cardinals’ 34-17 win over Virginia after losing to BC was significant because it was the first bounce-back win after facing a Power 5 team, not to mention being down three starters in quarterback Malik Cunningham, running back Tiyon Evans and safety Kenderick Duncan.

Louisville has played well in games after losses and will try to do it again this week for the final game of the season at Cardinal Stadium.

Battle of the backup quarterbacks?

Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary is out for the season, giving freshman MJ Morris the opportunity to lead the team’s offense over the last three games. He’s accumulated 610 passing yards and seven touchdowns during that span with wins over Virginia Tech and the Demon Deacons.

“When you think about just true handoffs to the running back, it's still the same as it was with Leary, but a lot more quarterback run game,” Louisville defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said. “Passing game, it's basically about the same. They want to, I think, keep it simple for him and not put a whole lot on a true freshman. But he's a really good quarterback that has a really strong arm.”

Louisville might be playing its backup quarterback, as well. Starter Malik Cunningham missed the second half of the Cards’ game against Clemson with a right shoulder injury that Satterfield believed to be an AC sprain. He said Tuesday afternoon he wasn’t sure the specific details of the injury and noted there was some bruising around Cunningham’s shoulder. Cunningham has been ruled day-to-day.

“I think for him, he wants to play,” Satterfield said. “He wants to finish it out. We'll take it day by day. We'll see where he's at. If he's healthy enough to play, he'll play. If he's not, then Brock will play.”

If backup QB Brock Domann has to start against NC State, it’ll be his second of the season after running out first against Virginia when Cunningham was out with a concussion. Domann, who also finished Saturday’s game against the Tigers, doesn’t possess the same running ability as Cunningham but has a steady arm. He has compiled 584 yards and two touchdowns on 40-for-77 throwing so far this season.

“Brock has done a great job when he's been called upon in games, whether he's come in the middle of a game, or when he started the Virginia game,” U of L offensive coordinator Lance Taylor said. “We're able to keep the same game plan, same thoughts, same ideas. He's different than Malik, but he still does a great job of running our offense and everything that we asked him to do.”

Who is Brock Domann?:3 things to know about Louisville football's backup quarterback

What’s on the line?

The Atlantic Division champion has already been settled, but Louisville still has a chance to finish in the top half of the standings. The Cardinals are currently 3-4 in conference action and in fifth place behind division champion Clemson (7-0), Florida State (5-3), NC State (3-3) and Syracuse (3-4). A win Saturday would give U of L the head-to-head advantage over the Wolfpack, who have one more conference game left next week against North Carolina, the Coastal Division champion.

The Cardinals would also need the Orange to lose their next two games, both on the road against Wake Forest and Boston College, respectively. Should Syracuse and NC State lose back-to-back games to end the regular season, Louisville could finish as high as third place, one spot higher than its preseason projection.

Betting line

Vegas Insider had Louisville as a 3 1/2-point favorite over NC State on Tuesday evening.

Prediction: Louisville 28, NC State 17

The Wolfpack’s loss to Boston College was arguably the worst in the Dave Doeren era. A season that started with a lot of promise and hope for an ACC championship has the Wolfpack hoping to finish in the top half of the Atlantic Division. Similarly, Louisville came into the year with great expectations but faltered. The Cardinals have bounced back in a major way, though.

Even with the loss at Clemson, the team still has some momentum, especially returning home and will try to close out Cardinal Stadium for the year on a high note. Injuries and the next man up mantra will factor into both team’s personnel, but Louisville has the backups to get the job done.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football vs NC State: Betting line and 3 things to know