Everything You Need to Know About Virginia's Road Contest vs Undefeated Louisville

Virginia is looking to build on the momentum of earning their first AP ranking since 2019 after defeating Florida State last week

Sep 26, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back Xavier Brown (20) catches a touchdown pass as Florida State Seminoles defensive back Edwin Joseph (3) looks on at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Virginia hits the road to take on Louisville for their third ACC matchup, looking to start conference play 3-0 this season. In order to do that, the Hoo's need to take down the Cardinals in a stadium they have historically performed quite poorly in over the past couple seasons. Virginia's multi-faceted offense meets the Louisville juggernaut defense in an early season ACC contest.

Let's take a look at everything you need to know heading into Saturday afternoon's game:

Time: 3:30 PM ET

Location: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium (Louisville, KY)

Where to Watch: ESPN2

How to Listen: Virginia Sports Radio Network

Recent Results: Virginia 46 - Florida State 36 | Louisville 34 - Pittsburgh 27

Quarterback Showdown

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Miller Moss during the game against visiting Bowling Green in Louisville, Kentucky. Sept. 20, 2025 | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This ACC regular-season meeting should be a quarterback showdown. Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris is playing some of the best football in the ACC, if not the country. Morris has accounted for 10 total scores in just the past two games, including a two-passing, three rushing touchdown performance to upset Florida State last week. Morris is also connecting on a career-high 71.6% of his passes so far this season. The senior has also shown great poise and leadership in clutch moments, such as in overtime last week against FSU. He is a playmaker who has the wherewithal to lead an offense down the field when it really matters.

Louisville quarterback Miller Moss seems to be settling in nicely after some messy performances early this season. Moss threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Cardinals' first two games but has since turned it around with two great performances against Bowling Green and Pittsburgh. Moss is a former four-star recruit out of high school, being ranked higher than Kyron Drones, Garrett Nussmeier, and Luke Altmyer. He played very sparingly his first three seasons at USC before throwing over 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns in his fourth season in SoCal, before entering the portal last offseason.

Battle In The Trenches

Nov 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Virginia Cavaliers offensive lineman McKale Boley (52) blocks at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Virginia thinks the offensive line needs to take care of the line of scrimmage and slow down this Louisville defensive front. A scary unit led by defensive end Clev Lubin, defensive tackle Rene Konga, and linebacker TJ Quinn is probably the toughest test for UVA up to this point - even better than the defense FSU brought to the table last week.

Veteran offensive line pieces like Drake Metcalf, McKale Boley, and Jack Witmer need to buckle down and slow down their pass rush. If UVA wants Chandler Morris to capitalize on his improvisational skills as a quarterback, the line will need to give him the time and opportunity to use his legs and find open receivers downfield for the big play.

Louisville Defends Their House

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell (0) runs for a gain against visiting Bowling Green in Louisville, Kentucky. Sept. 20, 2025 | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cardinals have been historically dominant over the Hoo's at home in recent memory. According to Louisville Athletics, the Cardinals are 5-1 when hosting UVA and just 3-4 when traveling to Charlottesville. The last time the Cavaliers won a game at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium was all the way back in 2021.

Louisville has also won the last three matchups against Virginia, regardless of the venue. The Cards took down UVA on the road last season (24-20), at home in 2023 (31-24) and again on the road in 2022 (34-17). To end on a good note - two of those three losses were decided by one touchdown or less so the margin of victory is not out of reach, here.