Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech Hokies (3-2, 3-2 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (2-4, 1-4 ACC)
- Kickoff: Saturday, October 31 at 4:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
- Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny skies. High 60F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 10%.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 790, 840 AM / 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Virginia Tech -3.0
- All-Time Series: Virginia Tech leads 5-2
- Last Meeting: Virginia Tech won 35-24 on Jan. 2, 2006 (Gator Bowl - Jacksonville, Fla.)
Game Notes
Louisville
- Louisville snapped its four-game ACC losing streak with a 48-16 win over Florida State last Saturday, improving to 2-4 overall and 1-4 in the league.
- The Louisville offense was unstoppable for most of the afternoon, recording a season high 48 points and over 500 yards of offense for the second time this season. The Cardinals totaled 569 yards of total offense, including 291 on the ground.
- Running back Javian Hawkins recorded 16 carries for 174 yards and three touchdowns in the win. His three rushing touchdowns were a career high and it was the 11th 100-yard rushing game of Hawkins’ career, tied for the fourth most in Louisville history.
- Wide receiver Tutu Atwell caught three passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. He ranks 11th all-time at UofL with 2,132 yards and fifth with 19 touchdowns. Atwell moved into a tie for fourth all-time at Louisville in 100-yard receiving games with 10.
- Quarterback Malik Cunningham finished with 278 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-24 passing and 40 yards rushing, becoming the ninth player in Louisville history to surpass 5,000 yards of offense in a career, ending the day with 5,086 career yards.
- Linebacker C.J. Avery led the Cardinals with a season-best 12 tackles and his first sack of the season.
Virginia Tech
- QB Hendon Hooker owns a 7-3 record as Tech’s starter. He has been responsible for eight TDs (4 rushing/4 passing) in 2020.
- Tech is the only P5 team to have BOTH a RB (Khalil Herbert - 207 at Duke (10/3) and a QB (Hendon Hooker - 164 vs. BC (10/17) rush for 160+ yards in a game this season.
- In three wins Tech is +5 (8 takes/3 gives) in turnover margin and +33 in points off turnovers. In two losses, Tech is -3 (0 takes/3 gives) and even in points off turnovers.
- Kansas transfer RB Khalil “Juice” Herbert leads the nation in all-purpose yards among players with multiple games played, averaging 217.6 ypg. That figure is 54.4 ypg better than Auburn’s Tank Bigsby, who is second in the nation.
- Herbert is the ONLY player in the nation with over 1,000 all-purpose yards on the season (1,088). His 357 all-purpose yards at Duke (10/3) are the highest single-game total in the nation this season.
- Tech is tied for fifth among P5 squads, registering 18.0 sacks in 2020. Only Pitt (31.0), Clemson (24.0), Duke (21.0) and NC State (19.0) are better. West Virginia also has 18.0 sacks.
Depth Charts
Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Virginia Tech
Uniform Report
Louisville will be wearing all black, as their contest with the Hokies has been designated as a blackout.
Team Captains
Louisville (season): Quarterback Micale Cunningham, wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick, inside linebacker CJ Avery, inside linebacker Dorian Etheridge and tight end Marshon Ford
Virginia Tech (season): Safety Divine Deablo, offensive lineman Tyrell Smith, defensive tackle Jarrod Hewitt and linebacker Rayshard Ashby
Additional Coverage
- Scott Satterfield Recaps Florida State, Previews Virginia Tech
- OC Dwayne Ledford, TE Ean Pfeifer Talk VT
- DC Bryan Brown, OLB Nick Okeke Talk VT
- Tale of the Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. Virginia Tech
(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Atlantic Coast Conference)
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp
