Highlights, Photos & Notes: Virginia Tech 42, Louisville 35

The Hokies took advantage of a shorthanded Cardinals defense, rushing for 283 yards and five touchdowns.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville fell just short against Virginia Tech, falling 42-35 at the hands of the Hokies.

The Atlantic Coast Conference put together a highlight tape of the matchup, which you can see here:

Team Notes:

• Louisville is now 2-6 all-time against Virginia Tech and 2-2 against the Hokies in Louisville.
• Louisville went over 500 yards of offense for the second consecutive game, finishing with 548 in the loss.
  • The Cardinals have totaled over 500 yards in back-to-back games for the second time under , having done so against Boston College and Wake Forest in consecutive weeks last year.
• UofL outgained Virginia Tech 548-466 despite the loss.
  • The Cardinals have outgained the opposition in three of the five losses this season.
• Louisville averaged 8.4 yards per play on Saturday, one week after averaging 9.3 per play against Florida State.
  • The Cardinals have amassed 1,117 yards of offense over the last two weeks, averaging 8.9 yards per play.
• The Cardinals entered the day tied for the national lead with five plays of 60 yards or more and were tied for second with two plays of 70 or more. Louisville hit on touchdowns of 82 and 90 yards to add to both totals on Saturday.
• The Louisville defense registered three sacks in the loss, its fourth game this season with at least three sacks.
• Louisville allowed just one third-down conversion on Saturday (1-of-7), the fewest third down conversions allowed by the Cardinals since the 2016 season opener against Charlotte (0-for-13).

Player Notes:

• QB Malik Cunningham closed out the day 23-for-35 for a career-high 350 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Cunningham became the 14th Louisville quarterback to surpass 4,000 passing yards for his career.
  • He recorded the third 300-yard passing game of the season and his career, becoming the 12th Louisville quarterback with at least three games of 300 yards.
  • Cunningham moved into seventh place on Louisville's career touchdown passes list with 38, tied with Stefan LeFors and Jeff Brohm.
  • Cunningham moved into a sixth-place tie with Lenny Lyles with 52 career touchdowns responsible for.
  • With his 82-yard touchdown pass to Fitzpatrick, he became the first Louisville quarterback to have four touchdown passes of at least 75 yards in his career.
• RB Javian Hawkins rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, while catching five passes for 42 yards and a score on Saturday.
  • Hawkins moved into 10th place on Louisville's career rushing list with 2,355 yards, passing Victor Anderson.
  • His 90-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first half was the third-longest rush in program history and the longest since Howard Stevens had a 91-yard run in 1971.
  • Hawkins is the only player in the country with three rushes of at least 70 yards this season.
  • Hawkins recorded his 12th career 100-yard rushing game, moving him into a tie with Howard Stevens for third-most in Louisville history.
  • The five receptions matched his career high and his fourth quarter receiving touchdown was the second of his career.
• RB Maurice Burkley scored the first touchdown of his collegiate career on Saturday, getting in from 13 yards out in the fourth quarter.
• WR Dez Fitzpatrick went for a career-high 158 yards on five catches against Virginia Tech.
  • Fitzpatrick's 82-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter was the longest catch of his career.
  • The reception was tied for the ninth-longest passing play in program history.
  • With the touchdown, he moved into fifth all-time at Louisville with 20 career scoring receptions.
• WR Tutu Atwell closed out with eight catches for 78 yards in the loss.
  • Atwell moved into ninth on Louisville's career receiving yards list with 2,210.
• TE Marshon Ford had two receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown.
  • Ford has a touchdown catch in five of the seven games this season.
  • He moved into fourth place all-time at Louisville for touchdown catches by a tight end with 12.
• LB CJ Avery led the Cardinals with 10 tackles on the afternoon.
  • It was the third double-digit tackle game of the season for Avery and the fifth of his career.
  • Avery set a career-high with two tackles for loss on Saturday.
• LB Yasir Abdullah registered seven tackles, a new career high.
• S Jack Fagot recorded a career-best six tackles and his first career sack.
• DL Derek Dorsey, S Jack Fagot, WR Roscoe Johnson and DL Ramon Puryear each made their first starts of the season on Saturday.
  • It was the first career start for Fagot, Johnson and Puryear at Louisville.

Gallery:

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NOTE: Photos courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference

(Photo of Dez Fitzpatrick: Atlantic Coast Conference)

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