Virginia’s 30-27 overtime win over Louisville may finally start getting the Cavaliers some attention.
UVA squeezed into the national rankings (#24) with an upset win of then-#8 Florida State last week in Scott Stadium, with the hoopla entirely being about that end-game field storming, which caused a storm of national attention.
Now 5-1, and 3-0 in the ACC, Virginia is looking straight down the barrel of an appearance in the ACC Championship Game.
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They didn’t look like a championship-game contender on Saturday, but to their credit, the Cavaliers demonstrated resilience under challenging circumstances and effectively took advantage of the opportunities provided by Louisville.
And the Cardinals gave UVA plenty – most notably, a scoop-and-score on a fourth down and a picksix in the third quarter.
For good measure, Louisville missed on 42-yard field goal to end the first half.
You can call Virginia lucky, or opportunistic, or better yet, just call them good.
Because Virginia, in the end, was simply the team that didn’t beat itself.
On a Saturday when the Cavaliers didn’t have a better offense or defense, they made bigger plays when needed.
On the day, Louisville outgained Virginia by 146 yards, but when Louisville needed a big play, Virginia’s defense said, no.
In overtime, Louisville had the ball first. Cardinals quarterback Miller Moss hit Isaac Brown for a what appeared to be third-down completion to the 1-yard line.
First-and-goal from the Virginia 1-yard line.
But as they say, “ball don’t lie.”
The replay showed the ball grazing the turf as Brown hauled it in, resulting in an incomplete pass.
Louisville settled for a field goal.
Opportunistic Virgina wasted little time.
After a couple of completions, Chandler Morris ran the ball to the 2-yard line before limping off with an injury.
On third-and-1, UVA turned to J’Mari Taylor.
Direct snap, touchdown, game.
How bizarre was Virginia’s win?
The Taylor TD was the first time the Cavaliers offense tasted the endzone since Morris connected with Cam Ross for a 19-yard score with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half.
It was that kind of day for Virginia.
Virginia capitalized on Louisville’s missteps.
That’s the sign of a solid football team.
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