Virginia
Five Questions About Virginia vs. Louisville With Louisville Cardinals On SI
Ahead of the week 7 matchup between Virginia and Louisville on Saturday at Scott Stadium, we connected with Matthew McGavic of Louisville Cardinals On SI to answer a few questions about the Cardinals and get his thoughts about this weekend’s game. Learn more about this year’s Louisville team by reading McGavic’s answers below:
1. After a good 3-0 start to the season, Louisville comes into this game having suffered back-to-back one-score losses. What’s the common denominator in those close defeats for the Cards and what do they need to do better?
Louisville just can’t stop shooting themselves in the foot. We started to see glimpses of this in their game against Georgia Tech, where they were able to win but looked pretty sloppy doing so in the process with penalties and in general clunkiness. Against Notre Dame, early turnovers put them behind the eight ball early, head coach Jeff Brohm was way too aggressive, and we started to see communication issues come up in the defense. This past weekend against SMU, this communication issues were put on full display. Routinely, SMU simply caught Louisville off guard because the defensive staff struggled to get the call in in a timely manner, and players were caught in the wrong position as a result.
2. What’s been the key to Louisville’s success passing the ball? How has Tyler Shough unlocked the potential of this receiving corps?
He is playing exactly how a seventh year quarterback is expected to. He has an incredible command and understanding of the offense, and has great physical tools at his disposal. For starters, he’s got a cannon of an arm that he’s not afraid to utilize, but also has good touch on his deep balls and has gotten much better (compared to early in his career) about just chucking into double coverage. It’s not hyperbole to say that he is probably the best thrower of the football that Louisville has had since Lamar Jackson. Additionally, he has done an exceptional job at navigating the pocket by using his legs to extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield.
3. Louisville’s defense leads the ACC in opponent third down conversions, allowing conversions on just 27% of third down attempts. How have the Cardinals been so good at getting off the field on third down?
Part of that is because Louisville’s strength on their defense is in their front seven. While the defense has certainly been imperfect, where they have done well in is in short yardage situations – which usually comes on third down. Now, if it’s third and long, Louisville has actually struggled some since they haven’t been particularly great in pass coverage at times. But their defensive lineman have done well when it comes to winning one-on-one battles against run blocking (pass blocking is a much different story), while the inside linebacking corps is great at reading and reacting to what they see in the backfield.
4. Who are the two most important players for Louisville on either side of the ball?
Offensively, it’s absolutely wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks and running back Isaac Brown. Brooks is a former five-star prospect who began his career at Alabama, and since both him and Shough arrived on campus, they have developed an amazing chemistry. He has demonstrated multiple times that he had massive playmaking ability. As for Brown, even as a true freshman, it’s possible that he’s the fastest player on the team. He has incredible open field burners, and he is slowly starting to become more comfortable running between the tackles. He has superstar potential written all over him.
Over on defense, it’s defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley. The only issue is that both guys have gotten off to very slow starts. Gillotte was an All-American last season after leading the ACC in sacks with 11, but so far has just one to his name in five games. As for Riley, he led the ACC last season in passes defended last year with 15, but looked very hit-or-miss over the first three games. He’s missed the last two games with a foot injury, and it’s possible he could return this weekend.
5. What will be the biggest key for Louisville in order to come away from Charlottesville with a win on Saturday?
They absolutely have to get better when it comes to the defensive communication. On paper, this team has the talent to be one of the best defenses in the ACC. However, as previously mentioned, the coaching staff has struggled with getting the calls to the players in time, thus putting them out of position more often than they would want. If Louisville can clean this up, I feel really good about their chances.
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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