The University of Louisville football team earned its 11th consecutive home victory after defeating Virginia 31-24 Thursday night at L&N Stadium.
Louisville moves to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in ACC play, totaling 423 yards of offense with 243 coming through the air.
The Cardinals' special teams set the tone early with a blocked punt in the endzone that Jimmy Calloway recovered for the touchdown as the second quarter winded down. Louisville went into the locker room with a 14-0 advantage.
Virginia gained momentum throughout the third quarter, scoring 21 unanswered points to take a 21-14 lead going into the final quarter of play.
The Cardinals fought back in the fourth quarter starting with a 52-yard touchdown reception by Ahmari Huggins-Bruce to tie the game. Louisville went on to seal the game after Isaac Guerendo broke free for a 73-yard touchdown run.
Devin Neal paced the defense with 11 total tackles and one interception.
Louisville Head Coach Jeff Brohm said:
"I am really proud of our guys. This team, Virginia, came ready to play. They have had big wins at North Carolina, took Miami into overtime. They know how to play football. We got off to a little bit of a shaky start, but we still had the lead but then the interception for a touchdown kind of shifted the momentum in their favor. They had the one fumble that they picked up and took in for a touchdown again in their favor. But I am proud of our guys to hang in there when things were not going our way and play to the end and find a way to make enough big plays to win the game and make stops at the end. That is really how football works. You can go back and look at it but when you play good teams you have to find a way to make one play than they do and make one more point than they do. Fortunately, we were able to come out with the win. In all of our victories, I am probably proud of our team hanging in this one any of them. They could have easily lost confidence and start to doubt themselves a little bit. But they didn't. They played to the end. I am really proud of them without question. That one injured player from Virginia, I hope he is okay. That was unfortunate, but I hope he is okay."
How It Happened
First Quarter
06:42 – UL | Louisville notched the opening score on a four-yard touchdown pass from Jack Plummer to Joey Gatewood. 5 plays, 60 yards, 3:04. Louisville 7, Virginia 0
Second Quarter
03:01 – UL | D'Angelo Hutchinson blocked the Virginia punt and Jimmy Calloway caught the ball out of the air in the end zone for the touchdown. Louisville 14, Virginia 0
Third Quarter
04:15 – UVA | Jack Griese scored from the one-yard line on fourth down for the first Virginia score of the night. 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:25. Louisville 14, Virginia 7
04:05 – UVA | Cam Robinson intercepted the pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. Louisville 14, Virginia 14
00:41 – UVA | Malik Washington scooped up a Virginia fumble and ran it 42 yards into the end zone to give Virginia the lead. 3 plays, 61 yards, 1:45. Virginia 21, Louisville 14
Fourth Quarter
11:15 – UL | Brock Travelstead connected on a 35-yard field goal. 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:26. Virginia 21, Louisville 17
07:54 – UVA | Will Bettridge split the uprights from 38 yards. 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:21. Virginia 24, Louisville 17
06:20 – UL | Jack Plummer hit Ahmari Huggins-Bruce wide open down the middle for a 52-yard touchdown. 4 plays, 86 yards, 1:27. Louisville 24, Virginia 24
03:24 - UL | Isaac Guerendo breaks free for a 73-yard touchdown run. 1 play, 73 yards, 0:12. Louisville 31, Virginia 24
Up Next:
- Louisville will hit the road to play Miami on Saturday, November 18.
- Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN.
