7:30 p.m., ESPN

Louisville Cardinals (8-1, 5-1)

Head Coach: Jeff Brohm

Conference: ACC

Last Game: 34-3 W vs. Virginia Tech

The Virginia Cavaliers travel westward to Louisville for a Thursday night showdown with one of the ACC’s best this year. Led by former Louisville great Jeff Brohm in his first season as head coach, the Cardinals are ranked 11th in the country and well positioned for an ACC Championship appearance.

Last week, UVa suffered a setback at home against Georgia Tech in what was a disheartening performance by the Wahoos as they were dominated up front on both sides of the ball. GT rushed for over 300 yards and left town with a 45-17 win.

The Cavaliers have had a short week to figure out how to combat Louisville, and will likely do so without their starting quarterback. Early in the GT game, Tony Muskett suffered an ankle injury and has been ruled “day-to-day” by Tony Elliott. True freshman back up Anthony Colandrea came in and played admirably, throwing for 200 yards and two touchdowns, but his two turnovers proved costly.

The UVa defense, meanwhile, surrendered over 500 yards of offense and also suffered injuries to linebackers Kam Robinson and Josh Ahern, among others. Both players have a chance to return to action tonight and the Hoos will need them against a Louisville team that has outscored its last two opponents 57-3.

On offense, Louisville is led by quarterback Jack Plummer. Standing at 6-foot-5, he runs a very efficient system, throwing for more than 2,100 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine games. He completes passes at a 65 percent clip and has at least eight pass catchers with 10 receptions. Jamari Thrash (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) is the best receiver on the team. The Georgia State transfer has 46 catches for 712 yards and six touchdowns this season. Another receiving threat is Chris Bell. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound sophomore leads the program, averaging over 18 yards per catch.

However, the Cardinals want to run the football. They have a very skilled and experienced offensive line and have some gamebreakers at the tailback position. Jawhar Jordan (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) is second in the ACC in rushing with 881 yards. Isaac Guerendo has nearly 400 yards rushing and has caught 12 passes as well. Last week against the Hokies, he notched 146 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead Louisville in a rout.

Louisville brings the ACC’s second-ranked defense (12th nationally) into Thursday night’s matchup in Derby City. This pressure D is strong in all phases and at all three levels. DC Ron English will use a good dosage of 4-2-5 schemes that throws bodies against the run. The Cardinals rank seventh in FBS in rush defense thanks to a great defensive front: This group yields only 89 yards rushing per contest.

The front seven has contributed 56 tackles for loss and 23.5 sacks in 2023. Ashton Gillotte (6-foot-3, 270 pounds) leads the way with 8.5 sacks. He is joined by defensive linemen Mason Reiger (four sacks) and Ramon Puryear (three sacks). The heart of the defense runs through leading tackler TJ Quinn (6-foot-1, 230). He has 67 stops this year and intercepted a pass last week.

Louisville’s secondary is talented to say the least. They have been bolstered by two former Tar Heels in Storm Duck and Cam’Ron Kelly, who had a cup of coffee in Charlottesville this spring. Kelly (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) has picked off two passes this season and is second on the team in total tackles. Also, look for Devin Neal (6-foot, 210) and Quincy Riley (6-foot, 185) to share responsibilities in covering Virginia’s Malik Washington.

1. The Cavaliers have to find a way to stay in the fight.

Coming off of a disappointing performance at home and going on the road to face a ranked opponent after a short week, is about as dire as it gets. Elliott must find something to keep this program engaged. The amount of adversity that this team has faced in 12 months is enough for many lifetimes. The injuries, the inconsistent play, the self-inflicted mistakes are all cause for concern, but they are magnified in this game against this team on a short week.

2. Sell out to stop the run.

Defensively, UVa must do whatever it takes to stop the run and live with Louisville throwing the ball. This is a game where DC John Rudzinski needs to ask his corners to play on an island. UVa has been leaky against the run all season and in order to be competitive tonight, the Wahoos need to gameplan to stop the run and force Louisville to beat them through the air.

3. Colandrea and Co. need to limit turnovers

Likely without its starting quarterback, UVa will turn back to its true freshman to lead its offense. While him brings excitement and the possibility of big plays, Colandrea also lowers the floor for this offense. He needs to protect the football, play within the scheme, and make the correct reads. UVa is not a team that is able to withstand multiple turnovers and off schedule mistakes.

Brohm has been a huge success for the University of Louisville thus far. He has his team playing well and with some breaks they could be a potential playoff team come January. After an uncharacteristic loss to Pitt, the Cardinals have rolled through Duke and Virginia Tech, only allowing three points. They have an identity and that is being physical on both sides of the football.

UVa, meanwhile, had a glimmer of hope with its wins against William & Mary and UNC followed by a strong performance on the road at Miami. Last week against Georgia Tech, however, UVa looked uninspired and outclassed.

Tonight in Louisville, it does not get any easier and likely gets much harder. The Cardinals will dominate the line of scrimmage and send the Cavaliers home with another loss in another disappointing performance.