Louisville Report

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Cavaliers

The Cardinals travel to face the Cavaliers for their first road ACC matchup.

Matthew McGavic

Nov 9, 2023; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte (9) sacks Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) during the first quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Nov 9, 2023; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte (9) sacks Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) during the first quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
In this story:

RV/RV Louisville Cardinals (3-2, 1-01ACC) at Virginia Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, October 12 at 3:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.
- Weather Conditions: A mainly sunny sky. Warm. High 79F. Winds light and variable.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -7.5
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 7-5
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 31-24 on Nov. 9, 2023 (L&N Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville is looking to avoid its second three-game losing streak under Jeff Brohm, and the
    second one over a span of eight games.
  • The Cardinals and Cavaliers are meeting for the 13th time, with the Cardinals owning a 7-5 advantage and two straight victories in the series. Louisville defeated Virginia 31-24 last season at L&N Stadium behind 95 yards from Jawhar Jordan and 243 yards passing and two touchdown throws from Jack Plummer.
  • Louisville dropped its second-straight one-score game as SMU scored a late touchdown to
    secure a 34-27 win at L&N Stadium. It dropped the Cards to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC.
  • The Cardinals recorded 461 yards of total offense, losing for the first time when gaining at least
    450 yards of total offense. UofL registered 461 yards of total offense in the loss.
  • Quarterback Tyler Shough was 22-of-35 passing for 329 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception. It was his second 300-yard passing game at Louisville and the seventh of his college career.
  • Shough became the first Louisville player with multiple touchdown passes in five straight games since Lamar Jackson accomplished it during the first five games of 2017
  • Wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks is the first Louisville player with multiple touchdown receptions in back-to-back games since Josh Bellamy accomplished it vs. Arkansas State and Memphis Oct. 2-9, 2010. Brooks scored his sixth touchdown of the season on an 86-yard pass from Shough, which is tied for the seventh longest pass reception in program history.
  • Brooks is the second receiver in Louisville history to average over 40 yards per catch with at
    least 3 receptions in a game. The other is Tutu Atwell, who caught 3 passes for 129 yards vs.
    Florida State in 2020.
  • Freshman running back Isaac Brown registered his second 100-yard rushing game of his brief
    career with 117 yards on just 10 carries in the loss to SMU.
  • The Cards failed to score 30 points at home for only the second time under Jeff Brohm.
  • Louisville had a 100-yard rusher, 100-yard receiver, and 300-yard passer for the first time since
    doing so vs. Boston College last year
  • Linebacker Stanquan Clark led the defense with nine tackles, including four solo stops and
    a tackle for loss. The sophomore is the team leader in tackles with 31 stops after the first five
    games of the season.
  • The Cardinals have given up 31 or more points five times in the last nine contests, and in consecutive games twice during that span.
  • Louisville has lost back-to-back games by seven points for the first time since Sept. 8-15, 1973 when it lost to Memphis and Kent State.
  • Jeff Brohm’s team went 3-1 on the road in ACC play last season, including a neutral-site game against Georgia Tech.
  • Louisville hasn’t lost back-to-back ACC games since losing to Florida State and Boston College in 2022.
  • Running back Isaac Brown led all rushers with 10 carries for 117 yards to go with five receptions for 44 yards in the loss to SMU.
  • Brown had the second 100-yard rushing game of his freshman season. Brown is the only freshman in Louisville history to have two 100-yard rushing games with 10 or fewer carries in each game. Lenny Lyles is the only other Louisville player to do it twice in a single season, doing so as a senior in 1957.
  • Brown is fifth nationally averaging 9.3 yards per carry in his first five games of the season.
  • Tyler Shough became the first Louisville player with multiple touchdown passes in five straight games since Lamar Jackson accomplished it during the first five games of 2017. The Texas Tech transfer became the first Louisville player with 300 yards of total offense in back-to-back games since Malik Cunningham vs. Central Florida and Florida State in 2022.
  • Shough is on pace to pass for 3,463 yards, which would be the most yards since Lamar Jackson threw for 3,660 yards in 2017.
  • Shough is 15th in the country with an average of 14.72 yards a completion. The seventh-year senior has seven completions of 40 or more yards and four of over 50 yards through five games.
  • Louisville has lost 10-straight games since 2022 when it fails to cause a turnover or get a sack in a game.
  • Louisville failed to record a sack for the second time in three games and are trying to avoid not recording a sack for the second-straight game since the 2018 season.
  • Wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks became the first Louisville player with multiple TD receptions in back-to-back games since Josh Bellamy accomplished it vs. Arkansas State and Memphis in 2010.
  • Brooks scored his sixth TD of the season on an 86-yard pass from Shough, tied for the seventh longest pass reception in program history.
  • The Alabama transfer ranks 12th in the nation and leads the ACC in receiving yards per game at 97.8 yards.
  • Brooks ranks fifth in the country and leads the ACC with six receiving touchdowns, which already equals the top total from Jamari Thrash last season. The Cardinals haven’t had a receiver register six or more receiving touchdowns since 2019.
  • Out of the backfield, Brown is second on the team in receptions with 13 catches for 91 yards and one touchdown.
  • Louisville has completed passes to at least eight or more different receivers in each of the first five games, including 15 different pass catchers in the season opener against Austin Peay.
  • The Cardinals are ranked sixth nationally with two defensive touchdowns, both coming at the hands of Ramon Puryear.
  • Louisville has scored 35 points off turnovers this season. Louisville scored the first touchdown of the game when Notre Dame fumbled the opening kickoff and scored
  • Head coach Jeff Brohm is 9-2 at home in two seasons at Louisville.
  • Ahmari Huggins-Bruce recorded a season high five catches for 82 yards in the loss to SMU, which was the most catches for him since equaling five against USF in 2022. He grabbed a career high six catches in 2021 against Syracuse.
  • With two more field goals in the loss to SMU, Brock Travelstead has moved into the school’s top 10 list for field goals made with 23 and is 6-of-9 on the season.
  • Newcomer Tramel Logan leads the team with 5.0 tackles for loss, while the Cards are ranked 12th in the country with 7.2 per game.

Virginia

  • Virginia is 4-1 for the first time since 2019 and the sixth time since 1999: 2024 (4-1), 2019 (4-1), 2017 (4-1), 2004 (5-0) and 2003 (4-1).
  • UVA is 2-0 to start ACC play for the first time since 2019. Six of its final seven games of the season are against ACC opponents.
  • The Cavaliers are looking to improve to 3-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2007 and win five of their first six games for the first time since 2017.
  • Virginia is one of five ACC teams that are undefeated in league play. Three of the unbeaten teams – Clemson (3-0), SMU (2-0) and Pitt (1-0) – are on UVA’s remaining schedule.
  • For the first time this season and since Oct. 24, 2021, Virginia is receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches poll.
  • Virginia is one of 48 FBS teams with fewer than two losses this season and one of seven in the ACC: Miami (6-0), Pitt (5-0), SMU (5-1), Duke (5-1), Clemson (4-1) and Syracuse (4-1).
  • Virginia is seeking back-to-back ACC wins at Scott Stadium for the first time under head coach Tony Elliott, also the first time since 2021.
  • Virginia and Louisville have met every year since 2014. As members of the ACC, Louisville has won six of the 10 meetings, including the last two.
  • Three of the five matchups against Louisville have been decided by one score, including a 34-33 last-minute road win by the Hoos in 2021.
  • Virginia holds a 4-2 advantage against Louisville at Scott Stadium.
  • Virginia has won both of its ACC games this season in comeback fashion. The Cavaliers erased a 14-point deficits at Wake Forest and last weekend trailed 14-0 early in the second quarter before scoring 24 unanswered points in a win over Boston College.
  • Virginia scored 18 points in the fourth quarter against the Eagles and is outscoring opponents 38-20 in the final stanza this season. Last year, UVA opponents held a 114-54 edge in fourth-quarter scoring.
  • For the first time since 2019, the Cavaliers have not turned the ball over in back-to-back games. Additionally, Virginia has committed the fewest penalties of any team in the ACC.
  • Saturday’s showdown features two of the top wide receivers in the ACC. Louisville’s Ja’Corey Brooks leads the league in receiving touchdowns (6) and receiving yards per game (97.8). Virginia’s Malachi Fields is fourth in the ACC in receiving yards per game (82.4 ) and has scored all three of his touchdowns in the last two games.
  • The Cavaliers have two Kentucky natives on their roster, Xavier Brown and Kam Butler. Butler, who served as a game captain against Louisville last season, is expected to make his 50th career start Saturday

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Virginia

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Mustangs, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Virginia

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing red helmets (with Cards script) and pants with white jerseys; while Virginia will be wearing navy helmets and jerseys with white pants.

Additional Coverage

(Photo of Anthony Colandrea, Ashton Gillotte: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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