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FACTS & STATS: Site: Paul Brown Stadium (65,790) -- Cincinnati, Ohio. Television: Big East Network. Home Record: Louisville 1-2, Cincinnati 3-0. Away Record: Louisville 1-1, Cincinnati 1-1. Neutral Record: Louisville 0-0, Cincinnati 0-0. Conference Record: Louisville 0-0, Cincinnati 0-0. Series Record: Cincinnati leads the series, 28-21-1.

GAME NOTES: The Louisville Cardinals will open up their Big East portion of the 2011 schedule against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Paul Brown Stadium.

Louisville gave North Carolina and its explosive offense everything it could handle in a 14-7 setback, and now has lost two consecutive games. The offense will continue to undergo a transition this week after head coach Charlie Strong pulled assistant head coach Mike Sanford from his duties as offensive coordinator before the North Carolina matchup. Despite giving up just 14 points at North Carolina and 17 against Marshall two weeks ago, the Louisville offense has been haunted by penalties - committing 20 for 169 yards in the two losses.

Cincinnati, which is coming off a bye week, has won three consecutive games by a margin of 103-28. That includes a 27-0 win at Miami-Ohio two weeks ago, overcoming a four turnover day with dominant defense. The win marked the first shutout at Oxford since 1898. Cincinnati will now turn its attention to Big East play against Louisville this weekend, followed by challenging road trips to South Florida and Pittsburgh in successive weeks.

Cincinnati leads the all-time series with Louisville, 28-21-1, including the last three meetings.

Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater started just his second career game against North Carolina a week ago, completing 19-of-30 passes for one touchdown and one interception. Bridgewater has played in every game and has thrown for 514 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Louisville is near the bottom nationally in total offense (342.4) and rushing offense (116.6), and have given up 18 sacks this year. Patching up the protection for Bridgewater will be critical against the blitz happy Bearcats, as will finding a way to spark the run game. Dominique Brown (42.5) and Vic Anderson (38.7) lead the team in rushing, but neither has rushed for over 100 yards this season and have combined for just one rushing touchdown.

Despite the offense struggling to gain traction last weekend, the defense played well against North Carolina, which was limited to just 264 yards of total offense. North Carolina ran for just 86 yards, and Louisville for the season is giving up just (85.2) yards per game, which ranks 10th nationally. Overall, the Cardinals have one of the most productive units in the country. Louisville ranks 16th in total defense (298.2 yards per game) 13th in scoring defense (298.2) and is tied for second in tackles for loss per contest (8.8). Behind a defensive line that features linemen Marcus Smith, Greg Scruggs and William Savoy, Louisville averages three sacks per game, which ranks 10th in the nation.

The Bearcats' offense has proven to be multi-dimensional, averaging 440 yards and 45 points game, the latter of which is ranked ninth best in the country. Isaiah Pead leads a running attack that is 16th in the country (220.8). Pead averages 94.6 yards per game and has scored seven touchdowns, while quarterback Zach Collaros ranks second on the team with 36.4 yards per game. Make no mistake, Collaros can fling the ball around as well, as he has passed for 1,035 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions so far in 2011. He has thrown for over 500 yards in the past two wins over NC State and Miami- Ohio, and his most productive targets are Anthony McClung and D.J. Woods. McClung has 23 catches for 281 yards and three touchdowns, while Woods has 21 for 254 and one score.

The Cincinnati defense has been stellar the last three games, which included the shutout against the Redhawks on the road, three defensive touchdowns against Akron and holding NC State to just 14 points while registering six sacks in a 44-14 win on September 22. Cincinnati is fifth nationally in run defense (70.6), 15th in scoring defense (16.6 points per game) and tied for second in tackles for loss (8.8) and are eighth in sacks with 16 through five games. The Bearcats give up 348.6 yards per game.

This game will feature two of the country's stingiest defenses. Louisville came out and frustrated North Carolina's Brynn Renner a week ago, and expect for the unit to keep Collaros in check. Pead will be the difference for a Cincinnati run game that has continued to get better as the season has progressed. Louisville's offense on the other hand, is still developing. Bridgewater is talented, but the Cardinals' inability to run the football will hurt against the Bearcats.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cincinnati 21, Louisville 10