Louisville football took care of business against Virginia Tech, walking away victorious 28-16.
Louisville football left Blacksburg, Virginia with a big win in a very hostile environment for the first time in program history.
The Cards’ defense made a statement early by forcing Virginia Tech to punt after just four plays on the opening drive of the game.
The momentum looked to be fully in Louisville’s hands. The Cards threw the first punch with back-to-back runs by Isaac Brown, the second of which went 52 yards for a touchdown. It couldn’t have been a better start for Jeff Brohm and the Cardinal football team—but that feeling was short-lived.
A thang Was thrown
Unfortunately, there wasn’t another notable play for the Cardinals for the remainder of the half. The offense began to stall after Miller Moss threw an interception in the first quarter, which seemed to swing the tide of the game fully into the hands of the Hokies.
Louisville did not score again before halftime and gave up 16 points on the backs of two touchdowns and a blocked punt that resulted in a safety.
The offense looked uninspired, and the defense showed little to no identity. Kyron Drones appeared able to do whatever he wanted in the short passing game, as the Cards focused on containing him on the ground. That strategy was somewhat successful—but at the cost of giving up play after play in the flats, where Louisville struggled to stop the passing game.
Getting the troops in line
Few words need to be said about the halftime adjustments made by Brohm and his staff.
The Cardinals started slow, and after punting the ball back to the Hokies on the opening drive, Ron English and the defense made a statement with a huge stop. Miller Moss and the Cardinal offense built on that momentum, driving down the field and finishing the drive with a beautiful strike to Caullin Lacy for a 24-yard touchdown.
This marks the second game in a row that Lacy has recorded a touchdown.
It wouldn’t be the last time Lacy would make an impact. The wide receiver created more magic on special teams, delivering multiple strong returns that had fans feeling he was just one move away from breaking a big one. Late in the third quarter, he finally did—capping off a 68-yard return that set the Cards up at the Virginia Tech 5-yard line. Two plays later, Keyjuan Brown punched it in with a 2-yard run.
Shut ’em out and shut ’em up
Louisville went on to shut out the Hokies for the entire second half, holding a 21–16 lead for most of the fourth quarter. The Cards sealed the win 28–16 with a 24-yard touchdown run by Keyjuan Brown—his second score of the day.
Hold Off Basketball Season Just a Bit Longer
The Cards move to 7–1 overall and 4–1 in ACC play. With legitimate ACC Championship and College Football Playoff hopes, Louisville will continue to play meaningful football in November.
Jeff Brohm will look to build on this win and shift gears toward Cal back at home next weekend, hoping to keep the momentum rolling and finish the season strong.
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