Louisville Football: 3 takeaways from big win over Virginia in Week 9

Louisville football hosted Virginia for a big Week 9 ACC battle and came away with a 28-21 victory. What’d we learn from the Cardinals’ win?

What an interesting season it’s been for Louisville. The Cardinals beat Virginia, which has spent a lot of the season in the AP Top 25, on Saturday afternoon, improving to 5-3.

That means in Scott Satterfield’s first season at Louisville, the Cardinals are just one win away from bowl eligibility which is something no one expected in 2019. This team has exceeded expectations already, and they’re clearly not done.

What did we learn from Louisville’s win over Virginia?

3. Javian Hawkins is a rising star

Freshman running back Javian Hawkins is fun to watch. Seeing him rush for 100 yards in a second straight game and in three out of the past four had to be great for Scott Satterfield.

Hawkins looked like one of the most dynamic players on the field in this one and Louisville just has more speed this year, it seems. Hawkins finished the day with 28 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns and he’s on pace to reach 1,000 yards in his first season with the Cardinals.

Satterfield has a number of solid young players on the roster and he has a great young core for the next few years, starting with Micale Cunningham at quarterback who we will touch on later.

But Hawkins is a rising star not only in the ACC but in all of college football with his patience and ability to hit holes with speed and acceleration. This kid is going to be a problem in the ACC for years.