Duke is running out of things to play for, and a Louisville team with a few things left to play for is coming to town for a Thursday night game.

In a sense, all that’s left for the Blue Devils to play for is each other.

“Things haven't, as I said, gone to script,” coach David Cutcliffe said earlier this week. “But I trust those captains, they feel good about the mentality of this team. As I said, we're playing for each other.”

Duke is the only team winless in ACC play and faces a Louisville team in need of one win to secure bowl eligibility.

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Here’s a primer on what you need to know for Thursday night’s game:

Time: 7:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline).

Series; last meeting: Louisville leads 2-0; Louisville won 24-14 in 2014.

Records: Louisville 5-5, 3-4 ACC; Duke 3-7, 0-6.

Stat to watch: 499.9 | 36.8

The first is how many yards Duke allows per game; the second is how many points Duke allows per game.

Both are the worst marks in the ACC.

Duke’s defense is a on a skid similar to last season’s closing stretch, when the Blue Devils gave up 56 points in three of the last four games, and the other was a 48-0 loss.

This season, Duke has given up at least 45 points in each of the last four games – and now faces a Louisville team that’s coming off a 41-3 throttling of a bowl-eligible Boston College team.

Quote of the week: “There's a lot of work, a lot of scramble going on. Obviously, nothing's gone according to script.” – David Cutcliffe

Opposing player to watch: Malik Cunningham, quarterback.

This is an easy one.

Cunningham doesn’t have the same passing acumen as the other top quarterbacks in the ACC, but it’s not like he’s been bad through the air. He’s thrown 13 touchdowns against just five interceptions, with his 221.9 passing yards per game ranking eighth in the ACC.

And he’s a better runner than most QBs in the league.

Cunningham had two rushing touchdowns in each of the Cardinals’ first five games, with 16 total. He leads the ACC in non-passing touchdowns.

Young Blue Devil to watch: Dorian Mausi, linebacker.

Cunningham’s escapability and elusiveness in the open field makes it imperative to have a spy on him, and Mausi is the most likely player to draw that assignment.

The sophomore linebacker is third on the team with 50 tackles.

Prediction: The end is near.

To the season, sure. To Cutcliffe’s tenure at Duke – we’ll see.