Louisville Mounts Late Rally vs. Virginia, Wins 11th Straight Home Game
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Capping off a three-game home stand with a weeknight conference showdown against Virginia, the Louisville football program was able to avoid a massive upset, mounting a late rally to capture a 31-24 win Thursday night at L&N Stadium.
Trailing by a touchdown heading into the final seven minutes of the game, Louisville scored 14 answered points to pull off the comeback. Quarterback Jack Plummer found wide receiver Ahmari-Huggins Bruce for a 52-yard game-tying touchdown, then after forcing Virginia to punt, running back Isaac Guerendo immediately fired off a 73-yard go-ahead rushing score on the first play of the ensuing drive.
The victory by the No. 11 Cardinals (9-1, 6-1 ACC) marked their 11th-consecutive victory at home, a streak that now claims sole possession of second-best in program history (20 from 2003 to 2007). It is also the fifth longest active home winning streak in FBS football, behind only Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee and Washington.
The win over the Cavaliers (2-8, 1-5 ACC) also puts Louisville within immediate striking distance of clinching the second berth in the ACC Championship Game. They can officially punch their ticket to Charlotte, N.C. before their trip to Miami next weekend should North Carolina fall to Duke this Saturday.
Prior to the fourth quarter, Louisville's offense had trouble getting into a rhythm. While they finished with 423 total yards of offense, 187 of them came in the fourth quarter. Additionally, the Cardinals' defense had a tremendous lapse in the third quarter, giving up 194 of their 434 yards allowed and 21 points to put them on the ropes.
Plummer went 19-for-28 for 243 yards, two touchdowns and a crucial interception returned for a pick-six. 11 receivers caught a pass in the showdown, with Chris Bell's four catches for 35 yards leading the way.
Louisville got another great effort out of their running backs, rushing for 180 total yards. Jawhar Jordan collected 95 yards on 17 attempts, while Guerendo rushed for 94 yards and his long score on six carries.
Defensively, Louisville had trouble dealing with quarterback Anthony Colandrea and wide receiver Malik Washington, especially in the second half. Colandrea went 20-for-31 for 314 yards and an interception, while also rushing for 89 yards on 14 carries. Washington, who entered the game as one of the top receivers in the ACC, finished with nine catches for 155 yards.
Still, the Cardinals were able to collect four sacks and nine tackles for loss, while also holding Virginia to just 120 rushing yards. Safety Devin Neal collected a game-high 11 tackles as well as an interception, defensive linemen Ashton Gillotte and Jared Dawson each had 1.5 sacks, linebacker Antonio Watts had two tackles for loss and a forced fumble, while safety Cam'Ron Kelly also had a forced fumble.
Throughout most of the first half, Louisville's efforts on offense and special teams fell way short of what was expected heading into the matchup. Of their first five offensive possessions, only one of them ended in points, with Joey Gatewood hauling in a four-yard touchdown on their second drive of the game. The other five drives ended with three punts, two of which were three-and-outs, and a bobbled snap on a field goal attempt that led to a turnover on downs.
Fortunately, the Cardinals' defense continued to play lights out football. Virginia was dominated at the line of scrimmage, and could not establish any sort of rhythm because of it. Their first three drives all ended in punts, with Watts forcing a fumble on the Cavaliers' fourth time out.
Late in the second quarter, special teams actually played a key role. A punt from Brady Hodges pinned Virginia at the two-yard line on their fifth drive of the game, and were forced to go three-and-out. On the ensuing punt, D'Angelo Hutchinson came swooping in to block it, with Jimmy Calloway recovering the ball in the end zone.
Even on the Virginia drive immediately after the special teams score, one where they were able to get into a rhythm thanks to Colandrea's legs, the Louisville defense still preserved the first half shut out. The Hoos missed a 42-yard line drive field goal attempt with 58 seconds left, with Louisville then running out the clock into the half with a 14-0 lead.
The Cardinals started the second half on a high note, putting a pin to a Virginia drive that had reached the red zone with a timely interception from Neal. However, everything else in the third quarter went the Cavaliers' way.
After Louisville's ensuing drive stalled out just outside the red zone, Brock Travelstead's first kick of the night would be no good from 35 yards out. Virginia would then march down the field with a methodical drive that was capped off by one-yard touchdown run from Jack Griese. It marked the first touchdown surrendered by the Cards' defense since Oct. 14 at Pitt.
On the very next play from scrimmage after Virginia broke the shutout, Plummer threw an interception straight to linebacker Kam Robinson for a game-tying pick-six. A Louisville three-and-out later, and Virginia would jump in front thanks to play where Washington recovered a midfield fumble and was able to scamper 42 yards to the end zone.
As the fourth quarter progressed, the two teams traded field goals before setting up for the final segment. Travelstead would connect on a 35-yard attempt, while Virginia placekicker Will Bettridge responded with a 38-yarder.
Next up, Louisville will head to Miami for their final true road game of the season. Kickoff against the Hurricanes is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12:00 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Isaac Guerendo: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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