On November 9, 2023, the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals faced off against the Virginia Cavaliers in an ACC college football game. The match, held at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, KY, ended with a victory for the Cardinals, who rallied with 17 points in the fourth quarter to secure a 31-24 win.
The game was marked by key plays from both teams. For the Cardinals, a 4-yard touchdown pass by J. Plummer to J. Gatewood, a 1-yard touchdown rush by J. Griese, and a 73-yard touchdown rush by I. Guerendo were instrumental in their victory. The Cardinals managed to cover the spread of 3 points, and the total points scored by both teams was 55, surpassing the set line of 54.5.
However, the game was not without its share of drama. Virginia tailback Perris Jones suffered a serious injury after being hit on his helmet by Cardinals safety Cam’Ron Kelly. The impact caused Jones to fumble, leading to a 42-yard go-ahead score for Louisville. The game was paused as Jones was treated on the field and subsequently taken to UofL Hospital for observation.
In terms of statistics, Virginia had 21 first downs, 4-15 third down efficiency, 2-3 fourth down efficiency, total yards of 434, 314 passing yards, 20-32 comp-att, 9.8 yards per pass, 1 interception thrown, 120 rushing yards, 36 rushing attempts, 3.3 yards per rush, 13-100 penalties, 2 turnovers, 1 fumble lost, and 30:08 possession time. On the other hand, Louisville had 19 first downs, 4-11 third down efficiency, 0-1 fourth down efficiency, total yards of 423, 243 passing yards, 19-28 comp-att, 8.7 yards per pass, 1 interception thrown, 180 rushing yards, 31 rushing attempts, 5.8 yards per rush, 7-60 penalties, 1 turnover, 1 fumble lost, and 29:52 possession time.
The game was watched by an audience of 44,628, which is 74% of the stadium's capacity of 60,000. The game was also broadcasted on ESPN for those who couldn't make it to the stadium.