Louisville Preparing for Major Test from 'Physically' and 'Mentally' Tough Virginia Offense

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The calendar has now flipped to the month of October, meaning that conference play across college football is in full swing. From the ACC and SEC to the Big Ten and Big 12, every week is now a major opportunity for teams to build momentum towards competing for a conference title and potentially beyond.

For Louisville, their upcoming matchup against Virginia this weekend might not be perceived as a major matchup by some, but there are a lot of implications here.

The Cavaliers march into L&N Stadium with an incredible amount of momentum, taking down No. 8 Florida State in a thrilling double overtime showdown last weekend. Not only are the Hoos ranked No. 24, earning their first AP ranking since 2019, their 2-0 start to ACC play makes them someone who could be a threat to get to Charlotte.

Then with the Cardinals, while they haven't played their best football to start the season, their win/loss record is still perfect at 4-0. A win against a ranked Virginia squad would not only likely assure them a spot in next week's AP Poll, it will only further increase the buzz surrounding their next matchup at No. 3 and ACC-favorite Miami.

On top of that, Virginia has historically played Louisville incredibly close, with the last three meetings being decided by one score - as well as eight of the 11 since UofL joined to ACC. Implications aside, head coach Jeff Brohm knows UVA will be a tough task.

"We've got a really good opponent that's hot and coming into our stadium," Brohm said. "They've already played us extremely tight the last two years, and had a lead on us in the fourth quarter both times. They know how to play football, and they know how to coach. Right now they're playing very confident, and we've got to be as efficient as we can and come into this game swinging, and see if we can pull it out at the end of four quarters."

In this matchup, the side of the line of scrimmage for Virginia where Louisville will unequivocally face the toughest challenge is their offense. The Cavaliers not only have one of the most prolific offenses in the ACC, but all of the FBS. Their 539.6 yards per game comes in at fifth in the nation, while their 45.6 points per game is eighth. Both marks are second in the nation to the team they just beat - Florida State.

This unit is lead by one of the top gunslingers in the conference in QB Chandler Morris. Through UVA's five games, the North Texas transfer has completed 71.6 percent of his passes for 1,279 yards and 10 touchdowns - albeit that has also come with four interceptions (three os which came vs. FSU). He's also a serious threat with his legs, rushing for 169 yards and four scores.

While Morris can very much be a boom-or-bust type of signal caller, he still leads a passing attack that is 22nd in the nation at 296.2 yards per game. Add in his abilities with his legs, and the fact that Louisville has struggled with mobile quarterbacks in the past, Brohm knows that Morris will be a handful.

"He’s played very well. He has the ability to run, and he's scored numerous touchdowns with his feet and extended plays," he said. "Those guys are hard to defend. We will have our work cut out for us.

"We got to take away their passing game, and do as good of a job as we can with that. They’ll mix in some downhill runs. But him getting on the edge on the perimeter has gotten them some key touchdowns in key situations. He can extend and make a play as well. He’s played football at a lot of different places. His dad was a coach, so he’s smart. We’ll have to play really good on defense in order to find a way to stop him and the offense.”

For as good as Morris can be, the true identity of Virginia offense is the ground game. Not only do the Cavaliers run the ball a lot more than they throw it (211 rushing attempts to 182 passing attempts), but their 243.4 rushing yards per game is sixth among power conference teams and 12th in the FBS.

Additionally, UVA has several different running backs playing at a high level right now. J'Mari Taylor leads the way with 397 yards and an ACC-best seven touchdowns, but Harrison Waylee has also rushed for 229 yards and four scores, Xavier Brown adds 206 yards and a touchdown, while Noah Vaughn has put up 170 yards.

The aforementioned quartet of back has collectively rushed for 1,002 yards, averaging 5.93 yards per carry in the process, on top of 12 rushing scores. Not to mention that their offensive line has allowed only 3.40 tackles for loss per game, which is third in the ACC (Clemson, Miami) and 13th nationally.

Louisville defensive coordinator Ron English believes that their success on the ground and in the trenches comes from their mindset and approach.

"I think they're physically tough, I think they're mentally tough," he said. "If you look at the roster, they've got a lot of experience. The backs run downhill. These next two games, you got to strap it up and you got to strike somebody, because they're going to run right over the top of you. And you better grab.

"Their O-line coach was our GA at Michigan years ago, Terry Haffernan. He's a good coach. They block movement well, and the quarterback, he can run. I like his arm talent. I think he will throw you the ball, but I like his arm talent. They got a good team, and I think they're tough mentally."

But for as good as Virginia has played on the offensive side of the ball, if there's a defense on their schedule that can contain them, it's Louisville's.

The Cardinals have gotten off to an incredibly hot start on that side of the line of scrimmage. Their 268.3 yards allowed per game ranks 18th in the FBS, their 150.8 passing yards allowed per game is 15th, while their nine turnovers generated is seventh.

The players themselves credit enhanced efforts in communication for them being able to play at a high level so far this season. If they can continue to be on the same page from a communication standpoint, they believe they can keep up this hot start against the Cavs.

"We've been working on it the whole off season," safety D'Angelo Hutchinson said in regards to the communication. "That was the biggest thing that we wanted to do as a defense, just communicate at all times. So when it comes down to it in the game, it's just like second nature. So now it's really just something normal that we always do."

Louisville and Virginia will kick off at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 4 from L&N Stadium.

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