The Result: Virginia pulled away from Louisville in the fourth quarter for a 31-17 victory at Scott Stadium. The win moved UVa to 3-4 on the season and in ACC play with four games left in the season.
The Turning Point: Nick Grant’s forced fumble and recovery on a long run by Malik Cunningham in the fourth quarter. Virginia was up 24-17 and Louisville would’ve had the ball in Cavalier territory but instead Grant’s turnover creation led to a touchdown that extended the lead.
The Stat That Tells the Story: Louisville had five drives yesterday that resulted in a turnover or a turnover on downs. Virginia scored 21 points off of those drives.
Wahoo of the Week: It’s Brennan Armstrong, who accounted for 263 of UVa’s 368 yards of offense, and threw for 200+ while also leading the team in rushing. For the second straight game, Armstrong accounted for three touchdowns in a winning effort.
Bronco’s Winning Formula:
24+ Points?: Yes (31)
+1 Turnover Margin?: Yes (+1)
+5 Average Starting Field Position?: Yes (+12)
Keys to Victory
1) Tackle well
This was one of the keys to victory because we expected Javian Hawkins and Tutu Atwell to be available for the Cardinals. Neither of them played, so Virginia didn’t have as much trouble with big plays in space from Louisville’s skill players. But the Wahoos did have trouble containing Cunningham, who time and time again hit them for big chunks of yards with designed runs and scrambles. Cunningham rushed 20 times for 197 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, and took advantage of some bad angles in space. The missed tackles and poor angles ultimately didn’t cost them but it’s certainly something the Hoos can work on with several mobile quarterbacks remaining on the schedule.
Grade: C-
2) Control the line of scrimmage
The offensive line had an opportunity against an undermanned Louisville front to push them around and establish the run. They didn’t quite do that to the level that we expected but Virginia’s offensive line didn’t play poorly on Saturday either. UVa averaged just 3.9 yards per carry but the Cardinals had just one sack on the day and Armstrong was able to make throws downfield and scramble for gains without a lot of anxiety. Overall, UVa’s offensive line did what they needed to do on Saturday to earn a win.
Grade: B
