Second-Half Surge Boosts Louisville Over Virginia

© Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Louisville Cardinals (3-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) came to Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va. on Oct. 12 and took care of business against the Virginia Cavaliers (4-1, 2-1 ACC), winning 24-20 on a late touchdown by the Cardinals. The second half was electric with 30 points being scored between Louisville and Virginia. This game was definitely worth the price of admission for fans and families to see.

Game Summary

Virginia started off with the ball. Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea ran for 18 yards and hit Tyler Neville for a 19-yard gain. Grady Brosterhous' 1-yard TD run put Virginia up 7-0.

Louisville focused on its run game with running back Isaac Brown. But he could not convert on fourth-and-1 from Virginia's 19-yard line. Colandrea connected with Malachi Fields for 28 yards to get Virginia to its own 45-yard line. But it could not score.

Louisville's third drive of the game resulted in a 7-yard TD run by Brown to make it 7-7.

On ensuing drives, Virginia and Louisville did not score and the game went to halftime at 7-7. Louisville started the second half with the ball.

Louisville, Virginia Second-Half Scoring Frenzy

Louisville's Tyler Shough hit Ja'Corey Brooks on a 61-yard pass play to open the third quarter. The Cardinals reached the red zone but did not get into the end zone. A Brock Travelstead 31-yard field goal made it 10-7 Louisville.

Virginia's first second-half possession lasted six plays. On fourth-and-5, Daniel Sparks' punt hit the back of Virginia lineman Charlie Patterson. Louisville recovered the ball at the Virginia 14-yard line. Brown's 14-yard TD run made it 17-7 Louisville.

Virginia added a Will Bettridge 31-yard field goal to cut into Louisville's lead at 17-10. On the scoring drive, Colandrea hit Malachi Fields for 23 and 24 yards in two pass plays.

Virginia tacked on another 23-yard Bettridge field goal, making it 17-13 Louisville.

The Isaac Brown Show

In its next drive, Brown rushed for 12 and 19 yards and Shough hit Mark Redman for 22 yards. Travelstead missed a 41-yard field goal for Louisville. Momentum shifted to the Cavaliers and they capitalized on it.

It only took Virginia four plays to score again. Colandrea hit Kameron Courtney for 27 yards, setting up an explosive 46-yard TD pass to Xavier Brown. That made it 20-17 Virginia.

Shough then hit Chris Bell for 45 yards to get the Cardinals to the Virginia 37-yard line. Shough's next two passes ended up losing yards for Louisville. Shough made a mistake for throwing his first interception of the game, giving Virginia the ball back on its own 3-yard line.

Virginia ended up running the ball twice and reached its own 10-yard line. The Cavaliers ended up punting the ball back to Louisville.

Louisville Heroics

The Cardinals needed to go 71 yards to get into the end zone. Shough had an 18-yard completion to Caullin Lacy. A few plays later, Isaac Brown had an 18-yard rush to get Louisville into the red zone. Four plays later, Shough finds Jamari Johnson on a 5-yard TD pass to give Louisville a 24-20 lead.

Virginia now had a last chance to score. Colandrea hit Courtney and Fields on pass plays, reaching its 49-yard line. Colandrea got Virginia into Louisville territory on a 12-yard pass to Andre Greene Jr. The next four plays saw Colandrea not connect on any of his passes and Virginia turned the ball over on downs. That pretty much ended the game.

Turning Point

Louisville gained momentum in taking a 24-20 lead in the fourth quarter. Virginia needed a perfect drive to have a shot at staying perfect in ACC play, but they couldn't convert on fourth down.

Player of the Game

Louisville HB Isaac Brown

Brown had 20 carries for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brown could not be stopped at all during this game. Averaging 7.3 yards per carry, Brown was able to help give the Cavaliers their first ACC loss of the season.

Looking Ahead

Louisville goes back home to host the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes. Miami is on a bye week so it will be well rested. The Louisville home crowd should bring the energy after this big win against Virginia. Facing a potential College Football Playoff team will bring out the best in players.

For Virginia, it travels to South Carolina to take on the No. 10 Clemson Tigers. Clemson had a huge win on Oct. 12, beating the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 49-14. If Virginia wants to pull off the upset, they'll need to be ready to play a full 60-minute game.