Louisville vs SMU football

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If last Saturday's game against SMU was a Must Win for Jeff Brohm's University of Louisville football team, this Saturday's game at Virginia is a Can't Lose game for the Cardinals.

Not if they want to remain a factor in the Atlantic Coast Conference race.

Not if they want to position themselves for a higher quality bowl game.

Not if they want to create momentum for Oct. 19 when No. 6 and unbeaten Miami visits L&N Cardinal Stadium.

Although Virginia (4-1) has a better record than Louisville (3-2), the Cavaliers have not played any ranked opponents. Their schedule ranks the 73rd-toughest in the nation in the Sagarin Ratings. (Louisville's schedule is ranked No. 35, fourth-toughest in the ACC.)

Here is the rundown for the Cards' third ACC game.

The Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Scott Stadium (61,500); Charlottesville, Va.

How to Watch/Listen: TV — ACC Network (Chris Cotter, play by play; Mark Herzlich, analyst; Coley Harvey, sidelines); RADIO — Louisville Sports Properties, 93.9 FM (Paul Rogers, play by play; Craig Swabek, analyst; Jody Demling, sidelines).

The Line: Point spread Louisville favored by seven points; Over/under total points 54.

The Last Time: The Cards outlasted the Cavaliers, 31-24, last Nov. 9 at L&N Cardinal Stadium.

The Series: Louisville has pushed to a 7-5 edge by winning the last two games.

The Records: The Cards have slipped to 3-2 after losing back to back games to Notre Dame and Southern Methodist. Virginia is a surprising 4-1, beating Richmond, Wake Forest, Coastal Carolina and Boston College while losing a home game to Maryland by two touchdowns. The Cavaliers have played in front of nearly 20,000 empty seats in all three home games.

Player to Watch for Louisville: Receiver Caullin Lacy was an all-conference pick by some prior to the season but he missed the Cards' first three games with a broken collarbone. Lacy returned with gusto against Notre Dame, catching five passes for 71 yards. SMU limited him to a pair of catches for 1 yards. Virginia is allowing more than 266 yards per game passing. U of L quarterback Tyler Shough needs Lacy to draw coverage away from Ja'Corey Brooks.

Player to Watch for Virginia: Quarterback Anthony Colondrea. Louisville has been hurt by running quarterbacks this season but Colondrea has averaged 3.2 yards on about 10 carries per game. Make a note of this: The best rushing performance of his two-season career came in 2023 against U of L when Colondrea ran 14 times for 89 yards.

Sideline Storylines:

  • Shough has thrown at least two touchdown passes in all five games. He ranks sixth in the ACC with 13 TD passes but two of the quarterbacks ahead of him have played six games.
  • Brooks leads the ACC in receiving yards per game with 97.8 and has made a pair of TD catches in consecutive games. He is the first U of L receiver with multiple TD receptions in back-to-back games since Josh Bellamy in 2010.
  • U of L freshman running back Isaac Brown leads the ACC in yards per carry at 9.8 on 39 rushing attempts. Brown ran for 123 yards against Austin Peay and 117 against SMU.
  • Virginia has not started 3-0 in the ACC since 2007. Virginia coach Tony Elliott is 10-17 in 2 1/2 seasons in Charlottesville.
  • The Cavaliers have been an excellent come-from-behind team. They trailed Wake Forest and Boston College 14-0 before rallying to win their two ACC games.
  • Two Kentucky natives play for the Cavaliers. Defensive end Kam Butler played high school football at Covington Catholic while backup tailback Xavier Brown is a product of Lexington Christian. Butler, a transfer from Miami (Ohio), has 20 tackles, including a pair of sacks, while Brown leads UVa with 315 yards rushing.
  • Miami, Louisville's opponent at noon Oct. 19 at L&N Cardinal Stadium, is idle this weekend.

The Quote: Elliott was effusive in his praise of the Cardinals' offense:

"They're really good. They're efficient. They're fast. The running backs are really good. They find the creases. And then they can hit the creases. And then they break tackles and they can go. So they've got a lot of juice, as we say in our meetings at the running back position.

"And their wideouts are extremely fast and they can also make contested plays down the field. Their tight ends can really run.

"They've got great team speed. And the quarterback, he's an experienced guy. He looks very comfortable in the system. He gets the ball to the playmakers. And then he's got the ability to run, too."

The Pick: Louisville 35, Virginia 24.

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