3:30pm, ACC Network

Head Coach: Jeff Brohm (79-50, 13-6 at UL)

Last Meeting: Louisville rallied to avoid an upset and beat UVa 31-24 last year.

Charlottesville is buzzing with excitement for the first time since 2019, as the Virginia Cavaliers are showing some positive strides at Scott Stadium. The Wahoos have opened the season with a 4-1 record and look to make the push to five wins with another home date, this time against the Louisville Cardinals.

Last Saturday afternoon, Virginia showed its maturity and growth as they churned out a 24-14 win over Boston College. The defense was steady all game long and pressured BC into three costly turnovers, while the offense stayed in the fight and produced some big moments late in the game to be the difference.

This Saturday’s test will be tougher as the Louisville Cardinals travel east with one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. The Cardinals are ranked 15th in all FBS in total offense, led by head coach and play caller Jeff Brohm. Brohm guided the Cardinals to a 10-win season in 2023 and statistically, the offense has improved in 2024. Brohm’s unit averages over 472 yards of offense a game, including 303 yards through the air.

Texas Tech transfer quarterback Tyler Shough (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) has taken the reins of this Louisville offense and has become one of the conference’s signal callers. He has thrown for 1,443 yards and 13 touchdowns, while completing over 64% of his passes.

His favorite target on Saturday will be Ja’Corey Brooks. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Alabama transfer has caught 25 balls this season for 489 yards and six touchdowns. Brooks averages over 19 yards per catch. Joining Brooks as Shough’s favorite targets will be Chris Bell (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) who has hauled in 13 passes with two touchdowns and a duo of tight ends in Jamari Johnson (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) and Mark Redman (6-foot-5, 255 pounds).

In the backfield with Shough will be Isaac Brown. At 5-foot-9, 190-pounds, Brown is a dynamic ball carrier and pass catcher at running back. Not only does he lead the team with 362 yards rushing, but he has also caught 13 passes as well. Donald Chaney (5-foot-11, 220 pounds) will be another key piece in this backfield for the Cardinals.

Louisville is coming into Saturday with some injury news along the offensive line. Starting left tackle Monroe Mills (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) will be out vs. Virginia after an injury vs. SMU. The Cardinals will want to be a balanced offense against UVa, so they must solve their offensive line woes if they want to be successful.

Defensive coordinator Ron English brings in a defense ranked 33rd nationally, but one on the heels of two underwhelming performances. The Cardinals have suffered back-to-back losses and have surrendered 65 points in those outings.

However, the Cardinals are talented at all three levels of the defense in their 4-2-5 scheme. Up front, All-ACC performer Ashton Gillotte (6-foot-3, 275 pounds) leads the way; in 2023, he tallied 11 sacks. This season, defensive line mate Tramel Logan (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) leads the Cardinals with three sacks this season.

TJ Quinn (6-foot-1, 230 pounds) returns in the middle of the defense as the team’s signal caller and leading tackler. He leads a defense that is especially stingy on third down, only allowing opposing offenses to convert 27%.

In the secondary, Quincy Riley is Louisville’s best cornerback, however he has been injured. The 6-foot, 195-pound transfer from Middle Tennessee was an honorable mention All-ACC player last season and has one of the Cardinals’ two interceptions this year. He may return against the Cavaliers. At safety, M.J. Griffin (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) is one of the team’s leading tacklers and had his best game of the season last week against SMU.

1. Play with an underdog mentality.

Standing at 4-1 and undefeated in conference play, UVa has become one of “the hunted.” They must be able to handle success. They are playing a wounded but very talented Louisville team on Saturday that is desperate to stop their losing skid.

2. Find a spark offensively.

Last week, Virginia was able to manage the game properly and play complementary football like Tony Elliott preaches so often. We think UVa will be able to find success earlier on offense as Anthony Colandrea will present some problems in the QB run game and Louisville is young and banged up on the back end.

3. Next man up on defense.

With Antonio Clary’s injury, UVa’s thin secondary takes a hit and will impact the Wahoos on Saturday. Louisville has been explosive on offense all season and this Saturday screams shootout

Louisville is a dangerous team with offensive weapons and a defense that is very adept at getting off the field on third down. We think that UVa plays well, but ultimately Louisville’s desperation pays off and they escape from Charlottesville with a close win over the Cavaliers.