Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Cavaliers

No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (4-0, 1-0 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, October 4 at 3:30 p.m. EST
- Location: L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
- Weather Conditions: Mainly sunny. High 87F. Winds light and variable.
- How To Watch: ESPN2
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -7.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville Leads 8-5
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 24-20 on Oct. 12, 2024 (Scott Stadium - Charlottesville, Va.)

Game Notes

Louisville

In the win over Pitt, Louisville won for the second time in 23 games when trailing by 17 or more points at the end of the first quarter, last winning at Rutgers in 2007 after trailing 21-3 entering the second quarter. Louisville trailed 17-0 after the first quarter and 27-17 at the half.
The Cards start 4-0 for the eighth time in the last 23 seasons and are looking to move to 5-0 for the second time under head coach Jeff Brohm.
The Cardinals have won seven-straight games, which is tied for the second-longest streak nationally among Power 4 teams behind Ohio State and Missouri’s eight-game winning streaks. Louisville is tied for the fourth-longest streak nationally among all FBS teams.
Quarterback Miller Moss captured his second 300-yard game in a Louisville uniform and the seventh overall in his career by going 33-of-51 for 339 yards and three touchdowns versus Pitt.
Wide receiver Chris Bell led Louisville receivers with 135 yards on 10 receptions, including a 25-yard touchdown for his seventh career touchdown.
Wide receiver Caullin Lacy equaled a season-high eight receptions for 95 yards to go with a two-yard rush and 41 return yards.
The tight end position was critical in Louisville’s win over Pittsburgh as the duo of Nate Kurisky and Jaleel Skinner combined for seven receptions for 56 yards and two scores. Kurisky had a nine-yard touchdown, while Skinner
scored from 12 yards out for his first Louisville touchdown.
Defensive back Antonio Watts had his second career interception to stop a Pittsburgh drive at the 2-yard line and added four tackles, a half sack, and a half tackle for loss.
Placekicker Cooper Ranvier is tied for the national lead in field goal percentage at 1.000 after extending his streak to seven in a row. He’s one of 10 kickers nationally to make at least all seven of his kicks this season.
Linebacker TJ Quinn had his first two interceptions of the season and third of his career to go with five tackles. Quinn’s first interception set Louisville up for its go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals recorded three interceptions in the win over Pittsburgh to lead the ACC and rank ninth nationally in interceptions. The Cardinals have recorded 13 interceptions in their last seven games.
Louisville held Pittsburgh to 1-of-10 on third down conversions, tied for the third lowest percentage by an ACC opponent in Louisville’s 12 seasons in the league
Louisville improves to 20-1 under Brohm when allowing less than 30 points

Virginia

Virginia and Louisville have played every season since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014. Louisville has won the last three meetings and is 5-1 against the Cavaliers at home.
Four of UVA’s last six matchups against Louisville have been decided by one score. Virginia held fourth-quarter leads in each of the last two meetings (20-17 in 2024 & 24-17 in 2023).
It marks the second-straight year UVA is going into Louisville game with a 4-1 record. The Cardinals won last year’s meeting 24-20 at Scott Stadium.
UVA’s only win in six tries at Louisville came in 2021, a 34-33 comeback victory in which UVA erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Virginia is 4-1 to start the year for the second-straight season. The last time UVA posted back-to-back 4-1 starts was in 2003-04.
The Cavaliers have not been 5-1 to start a season since 2017 and have not won their first three ACC games since 2007.
UVA is outscoring its opponents in the fourth quarter 26-9. FSU’s game-tying touchdown with 36 seconds remaining was the first touchdown scored by a UVA opponent in the fourth quarter this season.
Virginia, No. 8 Indiana (5-0) and No. 19 Missouri (5-0) are the only three teams in the country with 1,200 rushing yards AND 1,400 passing yards.
Virginia leads or co-leads the ACC in seven different categories – fewest penalty yards per game (37.0), first-down offense (133), fumbles lost (0), fumbles recovered (4), kickoff return average (42.80), sacks allowed (3) and time of possession (34:04).
Virginia enters the Saturday’s contest ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll. It marks the first time UVA has been nationally ranked since 2019. The Cavaliers spent a total of six weeks in the rankings that year and captured their first ACC Coastal Division Championship, made an appearance in the ACC Championship game and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl.
The Cavaliers are coming the biggest victory in the Tony Elliott era, defeating then-No. 8 Florida State in double overtime, 46-38 last week. It marked the second time in the last three years the Cavaliers have taken down a top-10 opponent, having defeated No. 10 North Carolina in 2023. Virginia was named the FWAA Pop-Tarts Crazy Team of the Week for the third time since 2002 and Elliott picked up Dodd Trophy National Coach of the Week as well as the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Week honors.
UVA returns to L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium for the first time since 2023, dropping a 31-24 decision to the then then-No. 11 Cardinals in which the Cavaliers led by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. UVA running back Perris Jones suffered a neck injury that ended his football career in the game. Jones is now a doctoral candidate at the University of Louisville.
UVA safety Devin Neal (2023-24) and offensive tackle Monroe Mills (2024) were teammates at Louisville last season, but neither played in the Virginia game in Charlottesville. Mills will miss the 2025 season due to injury. Prior to last week’s 12-tackle effort against FSU, Neal’s career-high in tackles of 11 came against UVA in 2023. Additionally, Neal and tailback Xavier Brown are both natives of Lexington, Ky. – just 80 miles east of Louisville.

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Virginia

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Cavaliers, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Pitt

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing white helmets with red jerseys and pants, while Virginia will be wearing all white.

Week 6 threads #GoCards pic.twitter.com/dq1NKiONJM
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) October 1, 2025

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 🥶

⚪️⚪️⚪️#GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/H1x9TH3vff
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) October 1, 2025