Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Virginia

Here are the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Louisville football's matchup vs. Virginia.

Oct 12, 2024; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Isaac Brown (25) carries the ball past Virginia Cavaliers safety Corey Thomas Jr. (3) to score a touchdown during the second half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville program has a big time test on tap this weekend, as freshly-ranked No. 24 Virginia marches into L&N Stadium. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Oct 4 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Here are some of the more notable points of emphasis heading into Saturday's game:

Injury Update

While both sides are dealing with a handful of injuries, Louisville has arguably the most noteworthy.

After playing last weekend at Pitt, running backs Isaac Brown and Duke Watson are both listed as "probable" on the ACC first availability report. Defensive end Wesley Bailey got the same designation.

Cornerback Rodney Johnson and running back Keyjuan Brown were listed as out last week at Pitt, but the latter has a chance to play this week. He was given a designation of "questionable" on the first injury report.

As for Virginia, they dodged a major injury bullet. QB Chandler Morris injured the thumb on his throwing hand last week in the upset over Florida State, but he does not have an injury designation.

Virginia Players to Watch: QB Chandler Morris (Offense) and DE Daniel Rickert (Defense)

Virginia's explosion out of nowhere has been powered almost exclusively thanks to their efforts on the offensive side of the ball. Will there are a lot of factors as to why this has been the case, having Chandler Morris under center for the Cavaliers has certainly helped them out.

The North Texas transfer is coming off of a prolific season with the Mean Green, one where he threw for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns. So far during his final season in college, he's been just as dynamic. In five games, not only has he completed 71.6 percent of his throws for 1,279 yards and 10 touchdowns, he's also rushed for 169 yards and four scores. In the 46-38 double overtime win over FSU, Morris accounted for five touchdowns.

Morris can best be described as a gunslinger, and as such, has been prone to turnovers. He already has four picks, including three in the upset over Florida State alone, as well as 12 interceptions last season at UNT. In fact, in that 2024 season, Morris had 27 "big time throws" per PFF, but also 23 "turnover worthy plays,' which ranked sixth and third, respectively, in the FBS.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, while Virginia isn't nearly as efficient on defense, but they do have a handful of guys to watch out for. Safety Devin Neal, who transferred form Louisville this past offseason, is their leading tackler with 26. Corner Donovan Platt has a team-best three pass breakups, while defensive end Mitchell Melton is tied for the most TFL's for four.

But if there was one guy that Louisville's defense needs to circle in the film room, it just might be Daniel Rickert. The lineman is Virginia's best true edge rusher, as he not only also has four tackles for loss, but leads the team in sacks with 3.5. He also has 13 tackles and a pair of pass break ups to his name.

Pro Football Focus is high on him as well. Rickert has the highest pass rush grade on the team at 80.9, while his 16 total quarterback pressures also leads the Hoos.

Matchup to Watch: Louisville's Pass Rush vs. Virginia's Offensive Line

Sure, it will be important for either Louisville's offense or Virginia's defense to find their footing, considering each side hasn't exactly played their best. That being said, whoever wins the battle between Louisville's physical defense and Virginia's prolific offense is who will more than likely carry their side to victory.

It goes without saying that there are a ton unit vs. unit and individual matchups to watch for when Louisville's defense and Virginia's offense take the field. But the one that could ultimately play the biggest role here is the Cardinals' disruptive pass rush vs. the Cavaliers' stout offensive line.

Louisville has done an exceptional job at generating push at the point of attack this season. So far this season, the Cardinals' 3.00 sacks per game ranks 18th in the FBS, and second in the ACC behind Pitt. Edge rusher Clev Lubin leads the charge here with 3.5 sacks, but guys like Wesley Bailey, Rene Konga and A.J. Green have excelled at getting after the quarterback as well.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Virginia has been just as good at keeping Morris upright. Not only is their 0.60 sacks allowed per game the best mark in the ACC, it's tied for fifth-best among power conference schools, and ninth-best in the entire FBS. PFF isn't super high on UVA's pass blocking, giving them a 66.3 grade in this department (72nd nationally), but it's hard to deny the cold hard stats.

Louisville Trend to Monitor: Prone to Slow Starts

While Louisville might be undefeated, they haven't exactly gotten to this point by cruising past every opponent. In fact, slow starts are starting to become a trend for this Cardinals squad.

Last weekend's Pitt game was the epitome of a slow start. Louisville went down 17-0 in just over 12 minutes of in-game time, and it took until the fourth quarter for them to finally pull in front.

In their game against James Madison, they scored just six points in the first half, and trailed by as much as eight before scoring 22 unanswered. The Cards even had a pair of punts and only 16 rushing yards in the first half against Bowling Green.

Meanwhile, Virginia has done the exact opposite. They scored the first 35 points in their game vs. Coastal Carolina, had a 24-14 halftime lead in their loss at NC State, scored the first 21 points vs. William & Mary, led 28-7 early in the second quarter vs. Stanford, and had the first two touchdowns of the game in the matchup vs. FSU.

Virginia Trend to Monitor: A Very Underrated Rushing Attack

Morris is undoubtedly the engine behind Virginia's high-flying offense, and receivers like Trell Harris and Cameron Ross are certainly going to be difficult to contain. That being said, the ground game is an incredibly underrated aspect to this Cavaliers offense.

For starters, UVA loves to run the ball. So far this season, they have 211 rushing attempts compared to 182 pass attempts. Add in a 5.61 team-wide yards per attempt mark, and the Hoos have the 12th-ranked rushing offense in the FBS at 243.4 yards per game.

The kicker is that it's not just one guy carrying the Cavs. Of course, it starts with J'Mari Taylor, who has 397 yards and seven touchdowns. But Xavier Brown also has 206 yards and a score, while Harrison Waylee has 229 yards and four TDs, plus Noah Vaughn with 170 yards.

(Photo via Amber Searls - Imagn Images)

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