The Louisville Cardinals are undefeated in two games, and have yet to come across a team that shoves back when pushed. They may encounter such a team when they pay the Virginia Cavaliers a visit on Saturday. The Cavaliers showed how dangerous they could be even against highly-ranked teams, when they nearly edged out the then-no. 7 UCLA in their first game of the season.
There are other games to watch out for in Week 3. Click here to read the preview of Texas Longhorns-UCLA Bruins and read on for more on this game.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Scott Stadium, Charlottesville
When: Saturday, September 13, 12:30 PM ET
Line: Louisville Cardinals (-7) at Virginia Cavaliers (+7) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Bobby Petrino arrived at Louisville with the promise of turning the Cardinals into a scoring machine. And stack points they did in their first two games, defeating the Miami Hurricanes 31-13 and annihilating the Murray State Racers the following week, 66-21.
Both games were also victories against the spread for the Cardinals, who’ll visit the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday for their first road game of the season. It would also be the first true test for Louisville’s offense, which has averaged 48.5 PPG over those games, 12th in the FBS.
Quarterback Will Gardner has done well for himself as the team’s replacement for Teddy Bridgewater. So far, Gardner and his receiving corps have clicked under Petrino’s system. Gardner has passed for 339 yards in two games with four touchdowns, clearly benefiting from a crew of experienced receivers led by seniors Eli Rogers (110 yards), Kai De La Cruz (63 yards, 1 TD) and Michaelee Harris (52 yards, 1 TD).
Add to that already explosive set of toys for Gardner is senior tight end Gerald Christian who leads the team with two TDs, and one can easily tell that the Cardinals’ passing offense is going to be a handful for any team, ranked or not.
But it’s not just Gardner whom the Cavs’ defense has to prepare for, as even backup QB Reggie Bonnafon showed he could steal the spotlight from the starter any given night when he threw for 112 yards and a TD and rushed for two more against Murray State.
Petrino inherits a team that went 6-0 on the road last season.
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Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers
So who’s going to be the Cavaliers starting quarterback against Louisville, Greyson Lambert or Matt Johns? Or is coach Mike London going for a two-QB rotation? Either way, there’s a quarterback dilemma happening in Virginia, one that has surprisingly produced more success than controversy for the Cavs so far.
The Cavaliers are coming off a big 45-13 win over the Richmond Spiders as 14.5-point home favorites. In that game, Lambert went 13-of-15 passing for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Johns, on the other hand, completed 4-of-7 passes for 65 yards with no TDs, but led a couple of drives that resulted into two. Johns probably wouldn’t have been in the conversation for next week’s starter (let alone a sniff of the turf against Richmond) if not for his outstanding – and unexpected – performance off the bench in the season opener against UCLA, wherein he subbed for Lambert and proceeded to throw 154 yards and two touchdowns, albeit in a 28-20 loss.
The scheme appears to be doing wonders. As per London’s assessment during the post-game interview following the team’s win over Richmond, “the quarterback situation worked out as planned.” That said, expect both Lambert and Johns to share the playmaking duties against Louisville.
On defense, the Cavs’ pass rush will be crucial. The defense has been especially active in rushing the quarterback this season, coming up with 7.0 sacks in two games – second most in the ACC.
The Cavs are 3-0 ATS in their last three games as underdogs overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Louisville wins and covers -7.
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