On Saturday afternoon the Louisville Cardinals’ running game was front row and center in the 34-17 win over Virginia.
They didn’t have their starting quarterback as Malik Cunningham had symptoms from a concussion in the loss to Boston College the previous week. Louisville was also without leading rusher Tiyon Evans due to another injury.
But, Virginia couldn’t take advantage of Louisville’s loss of Cunningham and Evans, who were combining to rush for 157.2 yards per game.
The Cardinals still rushed for 198 yards on 46 carries on Saturday afternoon. Trevion Cooley posted 77 yards on 18 carries while backup QB Brock Domann carried nine times for 71 yards.
The Cavaliers could not muster any quarterback sacks or tackles-for-loss which gave Louisville potential as the Cardinals scored all four times that they entered the red zone.
“We are disappointed that we didn’t get the quarterback,” said head coach Tony Elliott. “I thought at some times we were getting close, but as the game wears on, their quarterback built confidence, and if you watch it, his confidence built over the course of the game.”
Virginia took a 10-0 lead on a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brennan Armstrong to Dontayvion Wicks with 6:42 remaining in the first quarter.
From that point, Virginia struggled to put together any solid offense on drives that would have allowed the Cavaliers to regain momentum.
“I think what you have right now is when adversity hits, everybody looks to ‘5’ (Armstrong),” noted Elliott. “Trying to get the team to understand that we’re not asking ‘5’ to make every play. We’re trying to play as a team.”
Armstrong had his best passing yardage of the season as he threw for 313 yards in completing 24 of 34 passes.
He was distraught about his two interceptions and how and when they happened.
“With Wicksy [Dontayvion Wicks], I had one-on-one press [coverage] and kept the safety at bay and tried to give him a shot,” explained Armstrong. “I tried to keep the safety in the middle of the field and he falls over and makes the pick.”
Armstrong said that wide receiver Lavel Davis ran a curl route when he threw the second interception in the middle of the third quarter.
“They’re in man coverage again and I try to throw inside on a little hook route and then boom, he jumps it,” said Armstrong of M.J. Griffin’s interception at the Louisville 40-yard line.
The Cards then converted their opportunity when Trevion Cooley scored on a one-yard run to give Louisville a 27-17 lead with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
“I don’t really feel like I am trying to play outside the offense, but I make mistakes,” said Armstrong. “I make plays in a sense. You just have to watch it and figure it out.”
Virginia has lost three games in a row as Elliott and his staff are working to implement a rebuild and then be successful off of the changes that they have to make in order for the Cavaliers to become a competitor and eventually a winner.
“We just don’t have the guys, right now, that are stepping forward and saying, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be the guy that’s gonna make the play,’” said Elliott.
The first-year coach noted how Virginia’s players generally look toward Armstrong to play-make and it puts the quarterback in a tough situation.
Elliott wants the Cavaliers to look ahead and then, look back only see what’s behind and how impacted areas can be fixed.
“Ultimately, when you get to an impacted area in this sport, it’s different air up there,” he said. “You have to think different; you have to act different; everything you do has to be different.”
Virginia is a team that needs positive things to happen on both sides of the football and then the Cavaliers can gain confidence in themselves and each other which should foster positive playmaking.
“We have just got to learn to win; we don’t know how to win,” explained Armstrong. “Just piecing it together when times get tough, we don’t know how to do that right now.”
