Louisville Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Virginia in Week 9

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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 19: Amari Rodgers #3 of the Clemson Tigers runs with the ball against the Louisville Cardinals at Cardinal Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

3. Louisville’s defense steps up

Louisville had a good game plan defensively against Clemson; they didn’t have the athletes to execute it. Louisville decided to play coverage and force Trevor Lawrence to throw into an eight-man zone defense, but they couldn’t stop the run so they couldn’t drop eight. When that happened, Clemson blew the doors off the Cardinals.

The Louisville offense did their defensive counterparts no favors either.

That won’t be the case against Virginia. The Cavaliers have a lot of really good offensive players; they don’t have any dynamic players. Virginia doesn’t have a running back that strikes fear in the hearts of any defender.

In fact, Virginia averages less than four yards per carry. Louisville should be able to contain the Cavaliers’ run game and play coverage. Keeping Bryce Perkins in the pocket and bringing pressure up the middle is the secret sauce to getting him to turn the ball over.

Louisville isn’t great defensively, but they should be able to contain a solid, but unremarkable Virginia offense.

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