Five lessons from Virginia football's brutal loss to Louisville

The Virginia Cavaliers suffered their second loss of the 2024 season on Saturday against the Cardinals of Louisville. Despite taking a 7-0 lead after a touchdown on the first drive and then leading 20-17 at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, the Hoos could not stay ahead of the Cards.

With the tough loss, we have five lessons as the Hoos move on.

The UVA defense needs to be better against the run

A week after holding Boston College to just 65 yards rushing and 2.2 yards per carry, Virginia's defense couldn't stop Louisville's ground attack.

The Cardinals rushed for 177 yards on 31 carries (5.7 yards per carry). Running back Isaac Brown paced Louisville's offense, scoring a pair of touchdowns en route to a 146-yard rushing game on 20 carries.

UVA's defensive line was razor thin at the line of scrimmage and allowed Louisville's linemen to consistently reach the second level. Virginia's safeties and linebackers made some nice plays on runs outside the tackles. But there was too little resistance between the tackles.

Special teams mistakes prove costly

After not making too many notable mistakes in situational football over the past few games, special teams issues were costly for the Hoos against Louisville.

Daniel Sparks missed a pair of punts, the first resulting in a 21-yard punt and the second going straight into the back of UVA lineman Charlie Patterson. The second gave Louisville a short field that the Cardinals took advantage of to take a 17-7 lead early in the second half.

On that drive, when Sparks sent the kick to Patterson, Jonas Sanker returned the kickoff from at least five yards deep in the end zone. He lost UVA by 11 yards in the process, but only reached the 14-yard line before being taken down.

He more than made up for that with big stops in defense. Additionally, Sparks and Sanker combined for a net 64 yards in the fourth quarter, despite UVA being pinned back in its own end zone. But those first three plays had too much of an impact on Virginia's chances of winning the game.

Anthony Colandrea carries the UVA offense on the ground

Part of the appeal of Anthony Colandrea as a UVA starter over Tony Muskett is the threat he poses as a runner and playmaker when under pressure.

That threat has never been more valuable than against the Cardinals. Colandrea was UVA's leading rusher with 84 yards on 15 carries. His appeal to option plays was particularly effective as he punished Louisville for disrespecting him.

The second-year signal caller also continued to dazzle as a scrambler, repeatedly creating something out of nothing and avoiding big losses. His pocket presence is impressive for a second year, and his alertness in tight spaces provides relief when his offensive line lets rushers through.

Colandrea also received a call over the air. He threw for 279 yards and a touchdown with a 58% completion percentage and recorded his third straight game without a turnover. We saw his improvement and ascension before our eyes. Ultimately, the absences of Trell Harris and Chris Tyree were felt in the passing game, where the Hoos couldn't get enough of going beyond Malachi Fields.

Malachi Fields can do it all

That being said…

Fields recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of the season in Saturday's loss. The Charlottesville senior finished with nine catches for 129 yards as a receiver, along with one completion for 22 yards on another designed pass to the former high school quarterback.

Fields has stepped up to fill the huge shoes of Malik Washington, who was present during the Miami Dolphins bye week and ran UVA's offense without the team's other two starters.

As if his impact as a receiver and passer wasn't enough, he made a perfect block on the sideline to set up Xavier Brown's 46-yard score into the end zone.

Next fall the games will be played on Sundays. But for now, he's trying to get the Hoos to two more wins and bowl eligibility.

Virginia is still on the right track

Losing a one-possession game at home is painful. Waking up late and faltering is a tough pill to swallow. The prospect of picking up a win when you don't qualify for the bowl leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

But this loss does not affect the direction of the program. If anything, it's a sign that the Hoos are still improving. The odds in Vegas are far from gospel. That said, Virginia was a 7.5-point underdog on Saturday night and led by three minutes with 2:00 to go. UVA is also 4-2, which any sensible Wahoo fan would surely have taken before the season.

There are plenty of places the Cavaliers will need to be better heading into a tough back half of the schedule. But the performances of Colandrea, Fields, Brown, Sanker and others also provide plenty of reason for optimism that UVA can get the two wins they need to reach their first bowl game in five years.