Previewing UVA Football versus Louisville

Virginia Cavaliers lost to Duke. The team is struggling. Louisville is coming off a win over Boston College. Virginia is 2-0 at home this season. They are three-point underdogs against Louisville.

Virginia's defense forced a punt on the opening drive. Duke scored 21 points on their next three drives. Nick Jackson was ejected from the game against Syracuse. Louisville's backup quarterback Brock Domann is an alumnus of Netflix’s Last Chance U. He's not as good as Louisville”s leading rusher, Cunningham. Louisville is ranked 25th in rushing offense and 95th on passing offense. It's a big difference from last year's team. They had 504 rush attempts against 364 pass attempts. This year they have 504 rushes and only 364 passes. The team is 100th nationally in pass efficiency.

Virginia's offense is broken. Last year's team averaged over 500 yards per game. Tony Elliott is trying to install a new offense. It incorporates a lot of NFL concepts and plays. The previous offense was more like backyard football. Virginia was held under 300 yards for the second time this year. The team needs to change the way it runs the football to improve its performance. Robert Anae got a bit of flack for not running the ball more. He needs more practice. For example, the timing route requires different skills from both quarterback and wide receiver. If either one is off, it breaks down. This is what we're seeing far too often.

Jay Woolfolk is the new quarterback at Virginia. He has been sacked less often this season than last year. Louisville's defense is more of a 3-3-5. The team's pass rush is led by the DEs. Their defensive strength is over the middle. They have a small outside linebacker, but they use their wide receivers well. Louisville is a team that plays a lot of fades. Virginia's wide receiver should have an advantage on these plays. It's a game that could be won on the edges. Louisville's cornerbacks are small. This game could also be a good game for fades and back shoulder throws.

Louisville and Virginia are playing each other at home. Cunningham can play a key role in the Louisville offense. Without Cunningham, it remains to be seen if they can have the same success without him.