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Virginia has played against some good offenses, but on Saturday, in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0) will face the most explosive offense they’ve seen this season.
Even though Louisville (3-2, 1-1) is currently on a two-game losing streak, the offense is still churning behind quarterback Tyler Shough.
Shough has thrown for 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Wide receiver Ja’Cory Brooks will be at the top of the Cavaliers scouting report. Brooks is the toughest receiving the defensive unit has seen since Maryland’s Tai Felton.
As good as Louisville’s passing game is, the Cavaliers must remember the running game. Louisville’s leading rusher, Isaac Brown, had 117 yards on just ten carries last week in a loss to SMU.
In last week’s win against Boston College, the Cavaliers’ defense held the Eagles scoreless after giving up the first 14 points. Virginia’s defense forced three turnovers and scored seven points on its own when Jonas Sanker returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown.
Anthony Collandrea didn’t turn the ball over, and Kobe Pace ran for 83 yards.
Keys:
Pass Defense: Virginia’s secondary struggled with Maryland’s passing game. Even though Felton is head-and-shoulders the Terps’ best receiver, he has still been able to record nine receptions for 117 yards. Louisville’s passing game is better than Maryland’s, and Brooks is on par with Felton. So, how does the Cavaliers deal with it? There needs to be a semblance of a pass rush to get Shough off his spot, or it could be a long afternoon.
Create Rushing Lanes: In Louisville’s loss to Notre Dame, the Cardinals dealt with an Irish team that stayed patient with the run even when early success wasn’t there. Last week, during the loss to SMU, Louisville’s defense was undone in the running game by Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings. Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers must stay patient with Kobe Pace and hope Colandrea can be responsible when he breaks the pocket. What Virginia can’t afford to do is to become one-dimensional in the passing game because that’s when the turnovers start to happen.