Louisville football: 5 most intriguing games on 2020 schedule
By Jacob Lane
No. 3 – Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech was arguably one of the most intriguing games on the original 2020 schedule for Louisville football, with their first matchup within the ACC against the Hokies falling on Halloween night.
That game was scheduled to be a home game for Louisville, giving Cardinal fans their first look at Virginia Tech in football since the loss in the Gator Bowl back in 2005. While the circumstances around the game may look a little different, it will still be a home game for Louisville and will still be a top flight matchup between two teams who could find themselves within the top 25.
The Hokies will bring a high-powered offense into Cardinal Stadium that much like Louisville, focuses around a promising, mobile quarterback who showed flashes of stardom in 2019. Hendon Hooker (one hell of a name) took over in week five as the Hokies QB and never looked back, finishing the year with 1,555 passing yards to go along with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Virginia Tech averaged over 35 points per game last year once Hendon took over, and despite a ton of transfers from the skill position and a few losses to the NFL, the Hokies should still have an offense that can produce a high number of points.
That thought scares me a little bit when thinking about Louisville’s defense attempting to stop a highly athletic mobile quarterback who can throw far better than most running quarterbacks. The Hokies could also have a very dangerous running attack centered around Hooker and incoming transfer Khalil Herbert and Raheem Blackshear.
If Louisville is able to limit what they can do on the ground game, and force Hooker into throwing 25-30 times in the game, it should allow for a more potent pass-rush and more chances to make turnovers.
Virginia Tech’s defense will be a work in progress in 2020, following the retirement of long time defensive coordinator Bud Foster, and that should have Louisville licking their chops. Not to mention Virginia Tech also is the first team to have a star decide to sit out the 2020 season due to concerns over COVID-19, while they won’t be the last.
Caleb Farley, a projected 2021 NFL first round draft pick, announced earlier this week that the pandemic was too much of a concern to play a college football season and now the Hokies will be left without the star of their defense. The strength still lies in the back half, thanks to arguably the best safety group in the conference, and some solid linebacking.
Louisville’s offensive line should, however, be able to control the game with their run blocking thanks to a relatively weak defensive line for the Hokies. Micale Cunningham should also benefit going up against a pass rush that lost the majority of their production up front.
If Satterfield can get the run game established early and keep the defense off the field, this should be a game that the Cards win.