LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Louisville running backs coach Chris Barclay calls his backfield “Thunder Over Louisville.”
Isaac Brown brings the fireworks. Keyjuan Brown brings the boom.
Together, they delivered an explosive and bruising performance Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va., powering No. 16 Louisville to a 28-16 road win at Virginia Tech — the Cardinals’ fourth straight road victory and a crucial ACC result on a day when Miami dropped its second conference game.
Isaac Brown ran for 126 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Keyjuan Brown ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Caullin Lacy had more than 100 yards on three punt returns and Louisville ran for 231 yards on the ground.
But an apparent hamstring injury to Isaac Brown in the fourth quarter could keep the star running back out for "a little while" according to Jeff Brohm after the game, putting a damper on Louisville's first-ever win at Virginia Tech.
Louisville wasted no time lighting the fuse. On the first two plays from scrimmage, Isaac Brown ripped a 10-yard carry, then raced untouched for a 52-yard touchdown. Just 34 seconds in, the Cards led 7-0.
And that was the end of Louisville's first-half highlight reel.
Miller Moss threw an interception that set up a short-field Hokies score. Then a blocked punt out the back of the end zone gave Virginia Tech a safety and its first lead. And when the Cards stalled twice deep in Hokies territory — including a failed fourth-and-one at the VT 22 — Louisville trudged to the locker room trailing 16-7.
It wasn’t just a deficit. It was dissonance.
The offense was out of sync. The defense was good, but getting little help. The energy felt off. But coming out of halftime, Louisville struck the right chord.
A short pass to Chris Bell got the drive going. Isaac Brown added an 11-yard burst. Then on third-and-four, Louisville picked up a key blitz, and Moss found Caullin Lacy streaking across the middle for a 24-yard touchdown to pull within two.
Lacy wasn’t finished. On Virginia Tech’s next possession, the Cards forced a punt — and Lacy returned it 63 yards to the Hokies’ five-yard line. Two plays later, Keyjuan Brown punched it in for a 21-16 lead. He wound up with 106 yards on three punt returns.
From there, Louisville’s defense went into lockdown mode. T.J. Quinn delivered a key third-down stop. T.J. Capers snuffed out a fourth-down try. The Hokies never reached the red zone again.
Meanwhile, Louisville kept knocking. Late in the fourth quarter, Isaac Brown helped move the chains but exited with his injury. Enter Keyjuan Brown — who took over like a headline act. On a first-and-25, he galloped for 20 yards, followed by gains of 17 and four. Then he ripped off a 24-yard touchdown to seal the win.
It wasn’t always pretty. But Louisville found a way to flip the script after halftime — and rode its running game all the way to a 7-1 record and a prime-time matchup with Cal next Saturday at L&N Stadium.
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
