Anthony Colandrea's will face Louisville for the second time in his college career. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
The Virginia Cavaliers and Louisville Cardinals are set to face off in a critical ACC clash on Saturday in Charlottesville at 3:30 pm. Virginia is looking to improve to 5-1 for the first time since the 2017 season and 3-0 in the ACC for the first time 2007, while Louisville will look to bounce back after losing its last two games to ranked opponents SMU and Notre Dame.
Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Louisville with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction.
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0 ACC) vs. Louisville Cardinals (3-2, 1-1 ACC)
When: Saturday, October 12th at 3:30pm ET
Where: Scott Stadium (61,500) in Charlottesville, Virginia
How to listen: SiriusXM 385, SXM App 975 | Virginia Sports Radio Network
All-time series: Louisville leads 7-5
Last meeting: Louisville defeated Virginia 31-24 last season in Louisville, Kentucky.
Read Virginia's injury report for the Louisville game here: UVA Football Week 7 Injury Report: Updates on Tyree, Clary, Harris & More
See below for UVA's Week 7 depth chart for the Louisville game.
2023: 10-4, 7-1 ACC
2024: 3-2, 1-1 ACC
Louisville in 2024 jumped out to a hot 3-0 start, defeating Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, and Georgia Tech handedly. After that, the Cardinals failed to add a signature win to their resume against Notre Dame or SMU, losing both games by a touchdown margin, which dropped them out of the AP Top 25 Poll. At this point in the season, questions have surrounded Louisville about how legitimate this football team is after entering the season as one of the top contenders to win the ACC.
The scouting report for the Cardinals starts with quarterback Tyler Shough, who transferred from Texas Tech and played his first college snaps in 2019 for the Oregon Ducks. Shough has been a standout for the Cardinals this season, delivering as promised, with 1,443 passing yards, 13 touchdown passes, and only two interceptions with a 64.5 completion percentage. Shough has also proven himself a capable runner with a 46-yard rush against Notre Dame two weeks ago but has been susceptible to sacks, being sacked six times in the last two games.
Ja'Corey Brooks has served as Shough's go-to guy in the air, with 489 yards and six touchdowns. The Cardinals also have Caullin Lacy in their receiving core, who finished fifth last season in receiving yards in the NCAA, as Louisville faithful anticipate his breakout game. With that, the Cardinals have the fourth-best passing offense in the ACC so far this season, placing heavy emphasis on the capabilities of the UVa secondary, which has been riddled with injuries recently.
Defensively, Louisville's strengths are also in the air, with the Cardinals' defense ranking fourth in the ACC in overall passing defense. Through five games, Louisville has allowed only 998 yards and an ACC-best four touchdowns. Further, the Cardinals have two interceptions this season, although forcing fumbles has proved to be this defense's primary method of producing turnovers, with four fumble recoveries in 2024.
Notable defensive standouts include redshirt freshman defensive back T.J. Capers, who has an interception and forced fumble this season; Stanquan Clark, who leads the team with 31 tackles and has a forced fumble as well; and Tramel Logan, who has three sacks this season for a staggering 36 yards. Look out for Ashton Gillotte, who led the ACC in sacks last season but has only one sack this season, and Quincy Riley, who led the ACC in passes defended last season but who has missed the last two games with an injury. This Louisville defense is filled with playmakers looking to disrupt Anthony Colandrea all afternoon on Saturday.
Last time out against the Cardinals, Colandrea was sacked four times, although he found a rhythm offensively, especially in the second half, as he finished with 314 yards passing.
Pace of Play
Louisville will be the highest-scoring team Virginia has faced this season, so how will it play out? Will the Cavaliers' defense rise to the occasion and rattle the Cardinals' offense as they did to Thomas Castellanos and the Eagles last week, or will Anthony Colandrea fire back in a shootout affair? This game has the potential to get away from the Cavaliers if the UVa offense struggles similar to last week, coupled with the fact that wide receivers Trell Harris and Chris Tyree both missed the Boston College game with injuries. Tyree is unlikely to play this week, while Harris is still "day-to-day". If those players are out again, Virginia will need players like JR Wilson and Andre Greene Jr. to step up, and Malachi Fields will have to continue to distinguish himself as one of the top wide receivers in the ACC.
The Virginia Offensive Line and How Colandrea Uses His Legs
Last time out against the Cardinals, Colandrea was sacked four times, with many of those coming early in the game before the now-sophomore used his legs to elude the Louisville pressure. The shift was an absolute game-changer as Colandrea finished with 89 yards on 14 carries. Will a similar trend emerge in this rematch? Further, how will the Virginia offensive line fare against the Louisville pass rush that has produced ten sacks this season? Last week against Boston College, Colandrea was sacked only twice. Can the Virginia offensive line continue to give their star quarterback the time he needs?
What New Adjustments Does Louisville Make
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm emphasized after the loss to SMU that corrections need to be made on both sides of the ball before facing Virginia, as the Cardinals have dropped their last two games. So what does that look like? Louisville has struggled to run the ball this year, with only 846 yards on the ground. Do they emphasize the ground game more to take pressure off Shough? Defensively, the Cardinals have allowed three 30+ touchdown plays in their last two games. Will they play softer coverages to adjust?
Louisville was a significantly better team than Virginia last season, yet despite this, the Cavaliers gave the Cardinals a close game on the road. If not for their slow start, UVA could have certainly won. This season, both teams are much closer on paper, and with a game of experience against Louisville already in hand for Colandrea, the sophomore quarterback earns his first revenge victory of his Virginia career.
Score Prediction: Louisville 27, Virginia 28