Can Louisville football bounce back against an equally weird Virginia team in Charlottesville? Find out after this header.
Louisville football has a game this weekend, and we are here to talk about it.
First Down: What to Know
Who: Louisville at Virginia
Where: Scott Stadium | Charlottesville, VA
When: Noon ET | Saturday, October 8th, 2022
How to watch: ACC Network or Watch ESPN
Radio: 93.9 FM in Louisville
Series: Tied 5-5
Last Meeting: Virginia won 34-33 last year in Louisville
Win Streak: Virginia has won the last two
Weather Check: 62 and sunny
Spread Check: Louisville -2.5
O/U: 50.5
Thread Check:
Confidence Level: Getting back together with my ex-wife
Podcast Prep:
Second Down: Key Players
Brock Domann, Louisville QB
This will be Domann’s first start, and while Louisville football fans probably don’t feel confident in the dough man, he does have some things working for him.
Firstly, Virginia has no idea what Domann and Louisville will throw at them. We have become all too familiar with back-ups coming in and outperforming the regular starter. The film on Domann at Louisville is almost exclusively in late-game situations or mop-up duty. And, for the first time since starting Puma Pass games 1 and 2 of 2019, this staff will have a more “traditional” script and game plan.
In his first start at Louisville, Domann will likely be called upon to utilize areas of the playbook the staff rarely go to with run-first star Malik Cunningham.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Domann comes out and struggles to get comfortable behind center. However, I would be equally unsurprised if the Louisville offense gets into a rhythm with Domann at the helm.
Lavel Davis, Virginia WR
Louisville has struggled against big wide receivers this season, and it doesn’t get much larger than Lavel Davis.
At 6’7,” Davis has played a Tyler Harrell-type of role for the Hoos. He is averaging 25 yards per catch en route to 7 career touchdowns.
The UofL secondary can be solid for portions of games but has shown a propensity to give up chunk plays under Satt- Particularly this season. Virginia is going to test this all game, and Davis is a complementary piece that will take advantage.
Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville CB
A storyline we should be discussing more this season is the lack of production from Louisville’s star DB, Kei’Trel Clark.
Lost in the mix mostly due to criticisms of Jarvis Brownlee and Kenderick Duncan is the fact that Louisville’s DB room, as a whole, has regressed from last season. Clark, known as a shutdown corner in two previous seasons with the Cards, has been on the wrong end of a number of big plays this year.
Part of what made the UofL secondary a group we were optimistic about was the fact that Clark’s return from injury meant one side of the field would have a reliable corner. However, Clark has yet to settle in in 2022, and it’s clearly impacting this UofL defense.
Perhaps it’s lingering injury issues. Maybe it’s being moved into a new role where he serves in a bit of a nickelback situation. Whatever the case, Louisville desperately needs Clark and the entire position group to take a giant step forward at UVA.
Chico Bennett, Virginia DL
As solid as the unit has been individually at times (shoutout Bryan Hudson), Louisville’s offensive line has proven inconsistent in the front half of the season.
Couple Louisville’s uncertainty on the line with a defensive front that has a penchant for getting after the quarterback, and there is a recipe for seeing Domann on the ground far too often.
Virginia defensive lineman Chico Bennett has been a problem for the Wahoos in 2022, notching 4 sacks and 4.5 TFLs thus far.
The 6’4″ edge rusher is having hell of a breakout season after transferring in from Georgia Tech and sitting out all of 2021.
Louisville must contain Bennett and Nick Jackson to have any chance of winning this one.
Third Down: What to Watch For
Can Brock Dommann and Louisville’s receivers get on the same page?
It’s been obvious that Cunningham has not been himself so far this season. But his report with the receivers on this roster could certainly play a factor.
Still, Louisville football fans should not soon forget that UofL’s weapons in Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, Tyler Hudson, and Marshon Ford are legitimate threats in opposing secondaries.
Domann has been on this Louisville roster for 3 years now. Although his in-game success has been mixed, it’s been more due to bland play-calling late against USF and in dire straights against Boston College.
UofL has struggled to find a rhythm in the passing game this year, but perhaps Domann can be the guy to get things going.
Can Louisville avoid another “get right game” for an opponent?
How many times have we seen this in the last few years? Louisville enters a game against a struggling opponent and all of a sudden a reeling squad becomes a force to be reckoned with.
It happened in a major way last week against Boston College. The Cards can ill-afford for Virginia to “get right” after a sluggish start.
Does familiarity help Virginia?
There are a lot of odd connections between the Cards and Hoos; The most obvious being starting Virginia corner, Anthony Johnson.
The former Card found immediate success in Charlottesville, and he is in the middle of his best season ever.
Now, a guy who knows this Louisville team from the inside out is heavily involved with UVA.
Another Louisville connection is a Satterfield product in former App State QB Taylor Lamb.
A former star for the Mountaineers, Lamb is now the QB coach for Virginia.
Finally, new UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski is very familiar with the Cards.
The former Air Force DC had a great game plan for Louisville in the First Responder Bowl in December.
Now, Virginia’s connections to the program have a chance to play a major factor in a game the Cavaliers badly need to win.
Can Louisville’s thin running back room still get going?
Louisville is very likely without starting running back Tiyon Evans on Saturday.
The Cards very well may not see their other rotation backs in Jalen Mitchell and Trevion Cooley either.
That leaves UofL with their two situational backs- Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner.
Jordan and Turner are both speedy, shifty running backs, but are not in the traditional mold of an “every down” guy.
That’s not to say that Louisville hasn’t found success with guys similar to Jordan and Turner before. In Satterfield’s first two seasons, Javian Hawkins broke onto the scene as a sensational, speedy back capable of hitting holes hard and finding the secondary.
Can Louisville replicate what it found with Hawkins should Mitchell and Cooley be unable to go? It will certainly have to find answers in a hurry.
Oh yeah! And that one thing…
… about Scott Satterfield losing his job?
Surmise it to say that Louisville is not going to fire its football coach contingent on one game. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about toxic relationships, it’s that they almost always have short-sighted ultimatums that never end well.
Josh Heird doesn’t seem like the kind of AD to give Satt an ultimatum less than halfway through the season.
Despite reports from ESPN Friday that said a change was “expected” if UofL lost, it feels incredibly unlikely that a change would involve laying off your head coach.
Whatever the case, a win on Saturday certainly wouldn’t hurt Satt’s chances of remaining employed, so let’s try that strategy.
Fourth Down: Predictions
Jacob Lane
Louisville 10, Virginia 24
Vince Lococo
Louisville 21, Virginia 45
Matt McGavic
Louisville 24, Virginia 21
Presley Meyer
Louisville 23, Virginia 21
