Shorthanded Louisville Defeats Virginia for First ACC Win

The Cardinals overcame several absences on the road to end their losing streak in conference play against the Cavaliers.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Traveling to Virginia following a stunning upset loss at Boston College the week before, the Louisville football program was able to overcome several key absences, coming out on top with a surprising bounce-back 34-17 win Saturday at Scott Stadium.

With the victory, the Cardinals (3-3, 1-3 ACC) capture their first ACC win of the season, and avoid their first 0-4 start in conference play since the 2020 season.

Louisville had an uphill battle against the Cavaliers (2-4, 0-3 ACC) before the ball was even snapped. Quarterback Malik Cunningham did not make the trip due to a concussion suffered last week at Boston College, and top running back Tiyon Evans was also ruled out due to a lower body injury. Safety and leading tackler Kenderick Duncan also missed the game for undisclosed reasons.

Backup quarterback Brock Domann made his first career start at Louisville in Cunningham's place, and after a rocky first quarter, was able to settle in to give the Cardinals a viable passing game. He finished the game 17-of-30 for 275 yards, a touchdown and two first half interceptions. He also amassed 71 yards and a score on the ground.

Wide receiver Tyler Hudson and tight end Marshon Ford played huge roles in getting the passing game on track. Hudson caught seven passes for 101 yards, while Ford had four for 93 and a touchdown. Running back Trevion Cooley ran for a team-best 77 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and was instrumental in bleeding out the clock on the final drive to secure the win.

Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong went 24-of-34 for 313 yards and touchdown, but that also came with two interceptions - one each to cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and safety M.J. Griffin. Louisville's defense got tremendous push and penetration all day long, tallying six sacks and eight tackles for loss, while also holding Virginia to just six rushing yards.

Early on, it looked like Virginia was going to run away with the game. They marched down the field to score on their first two drives of the game, a 47-yard field goal and a 40-yard touchdown catch from Dontayvion Wicks, whereas Louisville struggled to get anything going offensively out of the gates. None of the Cardinals' four first quarter drives made it pass midfield, punting it three times with an interception sprinkled in between.

Then, Louisville flipped a switch. After being out-gained 149-10 in the opening period, the Cardinals out-gained their hosts 216-13 in the second quarter. The defense was able to force three punts and two turnovers on Virginia's final five drives before halftime, and the offense started to settle in as well, particularly through the air. Louisville added 23- and 20-yard field goals from James Turner during this time, as well as a 44-yard rushing score on 4th down from Domann to take a 13-10 lead into halftime.

Louisville's offensive momentum carried into the second half, as the Cardinals proceeded to score on three of the first four drives out of halftime, all of which were touchdowns. Ford hauled in a 32-yard score through the air, whereas Cooley and Jawhar Jordan each had one-yard goal line scores. On their final drive of the afternoon, Louisville was able to bleed out 8:11 of clock to hold onto the win.

Defensively, Louisville was just as dominant out of halftime. Virginia was able to string together just one scoring drive in the second half, one that was capped off by an 11-yard rush by Armstrong, but got smothered every other time they took they field. On UVA's other four second half drives, the Cardinals forced a punt, an interception and two turnovers on downs, holding the Cavaliers to just 157 yards during the second half.

Next up, Louisville heads into their bye week. They'll be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 22 to host Pitt at Cardinal Stadium at a to-be-determined time.

(Photo of Brock Domann: Geoff Burke - USA TODAY Sports)

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