Football heads to crucial conference showdown against Louisville – The Cavalier Daily

Last weekend, Virginia was in trouble. A total of 16 yards on offense and several coverage violations on defense characterized a sluggish opening quarter for the Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0 ACC). The game felt like it was on the verge of a resounding loss to Boston College, and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the Eagles (4-2, 1-1 ACC) landed the knockout shot . But Virginia’s defense stooped, the offense was executed at crucial moments and the Cavaliers scored 18 unanswered points Secure the 24:14 victory. This game was the defining example of Virginia football in 2024 – a game is never over until the final whistle blows. Until that happens, anything is possible.

“They found a way to hang in there,” coach Tony Elliott said after the game. “They didn’t back down, they didn’t start pointing fingers. They all looked in the mirror and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to figure out what it takes.'”

After matching the program’s best start in the last five seasons, the Cavaliers will look to keep it going at home against Louisville on Saturday at Scott Stadium. The Cardinals (3-2, 1-1 ACC) are reeling and have suffered two straight losses. Both losses came against opponents currently ranked – No. 25 Southern Methodist and No. 11 Notre Dame – and were decided by a single touchdown each. The Cardinals were also previously ranked but were eliminated from the final poll. This drop in the national rankings will make Louisville desperate to get back on track on Saturday.

Senior quarterback Tyler Shough leads a high-powered Cardinals offense that ranks 14th nationally in passing yards. As Virginia prepares to defend against this offense, Elliott was impressed by what Shough caught on tape.

“He’ll tear you to pieces,” Elliott said. “Very accurate, can throw from the pocket. He can throw off the run and then makes a lot of throws off the platform and at different arm angles.”

Containing Shough will be a big test for Virginia’s defense, which has improved significantly from last season. Shough has thrown at least two touchdowns in every game this season, for a total of 13 passing touchdowns – which ranks 14th nationally.

However, Shough is not a one-man show on offense. Senior wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks leads the team with 489 receiving yards after transferring from Alabama in the offseason. Brooks is the headliner, but from Elliott’s perspective, there are plenty of capable receivers in Louisville.

“Their wideouts are extremely fast,” Elliott said. They can also make contested plays on the field.”

To counter this talented group, the Cavaliers should hopefully get some much-needed reinforcements. According to Elliott, graduate cornerback Kempton Shine is expected to return from the knee injury he suffered against Boston College – which would help Virginia keep up with Louisville’s dynamic playmakers.

While the Cavalier defense won the day for Virginia against Boston College, it cannot be expected to lead the team for a second straight week. Louisville’s offense is too strong to shut down for a full 60 minutes, and if this game turns into an offensive shootout, the Cavaliers’ offense will need to find the rhythm it showed in the game last week to keep up.

Scoring 24 points last week doesn’t tell the whole story, considering the defense scored six of them thanks to a scoop-and-score from senior safety Jonas Sanker. 17 offensive points rarely lead to a win, but it was enough against the Eagles. It’s worth noting that Boston College has allowed the fewest points per game in the ACC this season.

Despite early struggles, sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea didn’t panic after a difficult first half. Colandrea may have had fewer total yards against the Eagles than he did against Maryland — Virginia’s only loss to date — but this time he played turnover-free football. It worked against a shaky Cardinals defense allows more than eight yards per passColandrea should have more ways to express it.

Unfortunately, the injuries hampering Virginia’s passing attack are impacting the wide receiver room. Junior Trell Harris is fit to play and graduate Chris Tyree continues to battle a groin injury that is expected to sideline Elliott again this week. However, the Cavalier reserves did a good job replacing the injured receivers a week ago. Junior JR Wilson had an encouraging four-catch, 44-yard return from injury and junior Andre Greene Jr. had a key two-point conversion. Despite Harris and Tyree’s injuries, Virginia was able to stay afloat. Ideally, these reserves will be able to continue their quality play against an average Cardinals defense.

Then there is the running game. The Cavaliers had to take a step back from their 384 yards rushing day against Coastal Carolina two weeks ago, but against Boston College they proved that game was no fluke. Graduate running back Kobe Pace did most of the work with 19 carries for 83 rushing yards. Pace’s numbers aren’t exactly amazing at only about four yards per rush, but as the game went on the running back seemed to gain strength. Virginia’s improved ability to run the football has played just as big a role in its hot start, and that speaks to the improvement of the team’s offensive line.

“I think it’s just more maturity,” Elliott said of the unit.

The offense’s struggles last year were abhorrent, but five games into this season, all of the starters appear to have benefited from receiving the lion’s share of playing time last year. Last year’s growing pains undoubtedly paid off in the end.

“[I’m] I’m just really proud of all these guys for believing in themselves,” Elliott said. “This is a football team that a lot of outsiders kind of wrote off at the start of the season, and I told those guys – man, we’re not worried about that. We want to prove ourselves right.”

Heading into this ACC battle against Louisville, Virginia is one of five ACC teams with an undefeated conference record. A loss would drop them in the middle of a 17-team field, but a win would cement the program’s best start since 2017. Even better, the Cavaliers are in a good position to make a bowl game – but with four teams remaining on the ranked schedule, nothing can be taken for granted. Virginia and the Cardinals meet Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.