Virginia Football vs. Louisville | Game Preview, Score Prediction

The Virginia Cavaliers host the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday at midday at Scott Stadium. Each the Cavaliers and the Cardinals are looking for their first convention victories of the season. It is a pivotal second within the season for Virginia and Louisville, as each groups enter this sport 2-3 and in determined want of a victory to protect any hope of turning the season round. 

Learn on for a full preview of Louisville at Virginia, together with particulars on methods to watch, stat comparisons, offensive and defensive scouting reviews, and a rating prediction. 

Recreation Particulars

Who: Louisville Cardinals (2-3, 0-3 ACC) at Virginia Cavaliers (2-3, 0-2 ACC)

When: Saturday, October eighth at 12pm

The place: Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia

Methods to watch: ACC Community

Methods to stream: fuboTV (Begin your free trial)

All-time collection: Tied 5-5

Final assembly: Virginia defeated Louisville 34-33 in 2021.

Unfold: Louisville -2.5

Over/Underneath: 50.5

Stat Comparisons

Opponent Snapshot: Louisville

2021: 6-7, 4-4 ACC

2022: 2-3, 0-3 ACC | Wins: at UCF, vs. USF | Losses: at Syracuse, vs. Florida State, at Boston School

After being named the ACC Coach of the 12 months in his first season at Louisville in 2019, it has been tough sledding for Scott Satterfield within the three seasons since then. Satterfield now finds himself doubtlessly on the recent seat after the Cardinals suffered a one-point loss at Boston School in a sport during which Louisville was favored by almost two touchdowns. Louisville has picked up two non-conference wins towards Central Florida and South Florida, however the Playing cards had been blown out at Syracuse in week 1 and suffered shut, hard-fought losses towards Florida State and Boston School. Nonetheless, Louisville has plenty of expertise on either side of the ball and will come into this sport with an edge because the Cardinals, just like the Cavaliers, seek for their first ACC win of the season.

Louisville Offense vs. Virginia Protection

Any dialogue of the Louisville offense should start and finish with star quarterback Malik Cunningham. Chargeable for over 11,000 yards of complete offense and 108 complete touchdowns all through his profession, Cunningham has been the engine of the Louisville offense and the chief of this system for the final a number of seasons. However, his availability for this sport is in query after he suffered a few blows to the pinnacle and started experiencing concussion-like signs within the sport at Boston School final week. Formally, Cunningham’s standing is “day-to-day” in accordance with Scott Satterfield. With all of the controversy surrounding concussions in soccer just lately, it would not be all that stunning to see Louisville err on the facet of warning and sit him out, however the Cardinals additionally really want him to play on this sport in the event that they wish to have any hope of salvaging their season. 

Cunningham’s backup is 6’2″ junior Brock Domann, who got here in for Cunningham on the finish of the Boston School sport final week. In three possessions main the offense, Domann went 1/8 for 19 yards and threw an interception on a Hail Mary try to finish the sport. Fortuitously, the Cardinals can depend on the ACC’s greatest floor sport, averaging 209.0 yards per rush. There’s a little uncertainty concerning the provision of a few of Louisville’s working backs, as Tiyon Evans (53 carries, 263 yards, 3 TDs) and Trevion Cooley (27 carries, 123 yards, 1 TD) are each day-to-day and Jalen Mitchell is prone to be nonetheless be out with a leg harm suffered earlier this season. However, the Cardinals have a deep working again room with Jawhar Jordan (42 carries, 173 yards) and, if he is accessible, Malik Cunningham because the staff’s main rusher with 457 yards and 9 touchdowns up to now this season. 

6’2″ senior Tyler Hudson is Louisville’s greatest receiver with 22 catches for 312 yards up to now this season. He’s joined by Ahmari Bruce-Huggins, a speedy 5’10” receiver with 17 receptions for 265 yards and a landing. Louisville’s passing numbers do not bounce off the web page, however the Cardinals have the expertise to take advantage of the UVA secondary in the event that they make the identical errors they did within the lopsided loss at Duke final week. 

The larger take a look at for the Virginia protection can be to defend Louisville’s floor sport. Total, UVA has been higher towards the run this season than final, however that is not saying very a lot. Final Saturday, the Cavaliers gave up 248 speeding yards and 4 speeding touchdowns to the Blue Devils, together with a 59-yarder within the fourth quarter that basically put the sport away. The Cardinals have a powerful offensive line, and no matter Malik Cunningham’s well being standing, Louisville will lean closely on that benefit up entrance and pound the ball on the bottom if the Cavalier protection is not capable of cease the run. 

Virginia Offense vs. Louisville Protection

The battle within the trenches can be simply as essential when Virginia has the ball. The UVA offensive line has been steadily progressing this season and truly performed fairly nicely at Duke final week, giving Armstrong a number of time to throw within the pocket. However this week, that group can be examined by a Louisville cross rush that’s presently tied for first within the ACC with 16 sacks this season. The Cardinals have two of the convention’s prime 5 leaders by way of sacks in YaYa Diaby (4.5 sacks) and Ashton Gillotte (3 sacks). Diaby, a 6’4″, 270-pound defensive lineman, has 6.5 tackles for loss to guide the Cardinals and the UVA offensive line will should be laser-focused to maintain him and the opposite Louisville pass-rushers away from Armstrong. 

Talking of Brennan Armstrong, might this be the week that Armstrong and the UVA passing offense lastly snap of their funk? There have been some encouraging indicators that Armstrong and the Virginia receivers are beginning to construct some comfortability within the new offensive system, however that development has but to translate to factors on the board. UVA is having some success shifting the ball down the sector, however nonetheless can not seem to get it into the top zone. Moreover, the UVA floor sport, which had been doing nicely this season, struggled towards Duke final week, totaling simply 93 speeding yards. 

Each Brennan Armstrong and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings mentioned this week that the offense is progressing, however that lacking on deep balls has led to their drives stalling since these misses get them behind the chains. The reply is not to easily cease taking these photographs, particularly since we have seen what the Cavaliers are able to offensively if Armstrong is on the identical web page as Dontayvion Wicks and Lavel Davis Jr. down the sector. 

UVA ought to positively take its possibilities on these deep balls towards a Louisville protection whose Achilles’ heel has been giving up large performs. Within the loss at Boston School final week, the Cardinals gave up 449 yards of complete offense, 200 of which got here on simply 5 performs. Louisville is prone to the home-run performs and that could be a large alternative for Brennan Armstrong and the Cavaliers to lastly get again of their groove. If UVA can hit on a few large performs on this sport to get the arrogance again, it might imply large issues not just for simply this sport, however from an enormous image standpoint because the Virginia offense appears to proper the ship heading into the second half of the season. 

Prediction

Malik Cunningham’s standing is the most important query mark proper now, however this can be a sport UVA can win no matter if Cunningham performs or not. The best way the Cavaliers have carried out by way of the primary 5 weeks, it is no shock that the Cardinals are slight favorites regardless of coming in with the identical 2-3 document. Louisville has merely seemed not fairly as dangerous as Virginia in its losses. UVA has but to area something remotely shut to a whole efficiency but, even in its two wins over Richmond and Previous Dominion. However, Virginia is 2-0 at dwelling and if the Cavaliers are critical about defending their dwelling area, then what higher place to get their first ACC win of the 12 months and maybe get the season headed in the proper path?

Possibly that is wishful pondering, however with not plenty of “winnable” video games left on the schedule, I am going with the Hoos this week. 

Prediction: Virginia 27, Louisville 24

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