Louisville Football: 5 reasons why the Cardinals will beat Virginia

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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We take a look at the five reasons why the Louisville Football team will beat Virginia on Saturday.

The Louisville football team will be heading down to play the Virginia Cavaliers this Saturday. The fifth ranked Cardinals will be looking to get their seventh win on the season and continue moving up in the polls.

Here is all of the information that you need to know for the game on Saturday:

When: Saturday, October 29th, 2016

Where: Scott Stadium

TV: ABC/ESPN2

Line: Louisville -32.5

Oct 22, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Kurt Benkert (6) throws the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels defensive tackle Aaron Crawford (92) defends in the third quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

5. Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert is the least efficient quarterback in the ACC

If there is any chance that the Cardinals get beat again this season, it will probably be because they played an elite quarterback who had one heck of a game. I don’t expect that to be Kurt Benkert because he has been of the least efficient quarterbacks in the conference this season.

They tend to throw the ball a lot and that is exactly what the Cardinals want him to do. They have a super unproductive rushing attack, therefore Louisville should unleash their talented outside linebackers to generate constant pressure on Benkert.

Throwing at barely over 57 percent on the season, Benkert presents a perfect opportunity for a Cardinals’ defense looking for turnovers and short drives.

Oct 15, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back Albert Reid (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

4. Virginia’s offense is one of the worst units in the ACC

One of the biggest reasons why Virginia is 2-5 is because of their tenth ranked offense in the ACC. They haven’t been able to move the ball, on the ground, all season long, therefore they won’t start against a Louisville defense that prides themselves on stopping the run.

The Cardinals were able to shut down Florida State’s Dalvin Cook earlier this year, therefore I don’t see them having a problem with the Cavaliers’ last ranked rushing attack.

This should force Virginia into third and long situations throughout the football game, which may or may not be good for the Cards. The Cavaliers are sixth in the ACC in passing offense per game and junior quarterback Kurt Benkert will keep the Louisville secondary on their toes as he has 14 touchdowns already this season.

However, Benkert isn’t near the quality of quarterback that Louisville’s defense has faced this season. It doesn’t matter how great of a passing attack that you have. If you become one-dimensional, the defense will blitz the garbage out of you and wear down your offensive line.

Not a recipe for success is if your are looking to take down the fifth ranked team in America. Advantage, Louisville.

3. Louisville looking for revenge from 2014 road-loss

Most Cardinal fans remember this heartbreaking loss in Virginia a few years back and it still hurts. Louisville got beat 23-21 by the Cavaliers on a field goal with about 3:42 left in the game. The Cards weren’t able to put together a drive to win, therefore the 21st ranked Cardinals fell to 2-1 on the season.

Louisville played Virginia last year and only won by seven points. The good news is that Kyle Bolin played quarterback that game, not Lamar Jackson. Jackson did however have one carry for 45 yards in Louisville’s 38-31 win.

Therefore, the Cardinals are do for a big win against the Cavaliers. Not only have the Cards played them close, but they got beat the last time they traveled to Virginia.

This is a different Louisville team and they should go into Virginia and take what’s theirs. Look for Lamar Jackson to have another huge game and allow Kyle Bolin to finish what he started.

Oct 15, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Nathan Peterman (4) throws the ball as Virginia Cavaliers defensive tackle Donte Wilkins (1) chases in the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

2. Virginia is second-to-last in the ACC in passing defense

Last week, before the game against NC State, everyone around the country was concerned with how Louisville would handle the Wolfpacks’ top-rated defense. However, what everyone failed to research is that they have the tenth ranked passing defense in the conference. As physical as the Wolfpack are up front, they are terrible in the secondary.

It was easy to see why Lamar Jackson threw for 300 yards before halftime.

We now move on to this weekend, where Jackson will be going up against the 13th ranked passing defense in the ACC. It’s pretty easy to see why Louisville will be able to have a field day with the Cavaliers’ secondary.

This feels like a James Quick kind of game. He hasn’t produced much over the last two weeks, but this could be the weekend we see him explode for another long touchdown catch.

Virginia has struggled to stop any decent offense this year, they won’t figure it out against the Cards.

Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball agains the Florida State Seminoles during the second quarter at Papa John

1. Virginia is giving up 171 rushing yards per game in 2016

If there is one reason why Louisville is going to completely destroy the Cavaliers then this is it. Virginia is giving up 171 yards on the ground per game this season. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are rushing for an ACC-leading 285.3 yards per game.

This is a match-up that is the complete opposite of what was expected to happen in the game against NC State. The Wolfpack were great against the run and were expected to slow the Cardinals down. We all saw how well that worked out for NC State.

It should be worse for Virginia. Louisville has one of the best rushing attacks in the entire nation and they can run when they please. Lamar Jackson, Brandon Radcliff, and Jeremy Smith present a three-headed monster that the Cavaliers will have no chance of stopping on the ground Saturday afternoon.

Louisville may need a couple more blow-out wins to make it into the playoff and a great opportunity presents itself in Virginia.