Virginia Cavaliers vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction, 10/9/2021 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Virginia Cavaliers vs Louisville Cardinals

Date: Saturday, October 9, 2021

Location: Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, KY

TV: ABC/ESPN2/ACCN

Odds/Point Spread: Cardinals (-2.5)

Total/Over-Under: 66.5

The Virginia Cavaliers (3-2) are on their way to Cardinal Stadium on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Louisville Cardinals (3-2). Louisville opens this matchup as 2.5-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under has been set at 66.5.

The Virginia Cavaliers come into this matchup with a record of 3-2 this year. In their last matchup, the Cavaliers played the Miami Hurricanes and took home the win by a score of 30-28. Brennan Armstrong went 25/44 with 268 yds passing and 1 touchdown. He had a QB rating of 110.9 and walked away from the contest with 1 interception. Wayne Taulapapa led the offense in rushing for the Cavaliers with 11 carries for 62 yds (5.6 yds per attempt). Overall, they ran 79 plays which converted into 449 yds. The Virginia Cavaliers ended up running the ball 35 times and compiled 181 yds, which is an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Against the rush, the Cavaliers conceded 169 yds on 40 tries, which is 4.2 yards per run allowed. Virginia allowed 15 pass completions on 29 tries for 203 yds, and a completion rate of 51.7%.

The Cavaliers have racked up 2,630 total yards this season. In terms of distribution of touchdowns, Virginia has compiled 14 passing touchdowns and 7 touchdowns via the ground. They have surrendered the football 7 times. Virginia has a total of 134 first downs offensively, and they have been hurt by 37 infractions for 341 yds. As a team they're holding an average of 128.0 yards in the run game giving them a rank of 98th in the country. Concerning getting in the endzone, the Virginia Cavaliers are sitting at 34.2 points per outing.

When it comes to passing yards, the Cavaliers are conceding 1,090 yards which puts them in 75th in D-1. They are giving up 218.0 yards per game via the pass and giving up a completion percentage of 57.1%. In total, they have given up 412.8 yards per outing ranking them 107th in college football. They have granted 10 touchdowns through the air as well as 8 touchdowns via the ground game. Opposing teams are running for an average of 5.0 yards per rushing attempt and 194.8 yards on the ground per game for the season. For the year, they have given up 974 rushing yards through 5 contests. The Cavaliers are ranked 101st in Division 1 when it comes to the opposition scoring, allowing 27.6 points per game.

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The Cardinals step onto the field holding a record of 3-2 this season. In their last game, the Cardinals went home defeated by a final of 37-34 against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Jalen Mitchell ran the football 17 times for 89 yards, ending the contest with 5.2 yards per carry for Louisville. Malik Cunningham (2 TDs) finished the contest with 309 yards on 19/26 through the air while his quarterback rating was 198.3. He kept the ball away from the defense with no picks and his average yards per pass attempt was 11.9. Louisville relinquished 44 running attempts for 177 yds (4.0 yds per rush). The Cardinals pass defense conceded a completion percentage of 57.5%, surrendering 324 yards on 23 for 40 through the air. The Cardinals finished the game with 522 yds while running 70 plays (7.5 yards per play). Louisville ran for 5.0 yds per attempt, finishing with a total of 213 yards on 43 attempts.

In terms of how much they score, the Cardinals are ranking 53rd in the nation holding an average of 32.2 PPG. During this campaign to this point, the Cardinals have thrown for a total of 1,367 yards via the pass along with an average of 273.4 throwing yards per game, ranking them 35th in Division 1. The Louisville Cardinals are averaging 443.0 yards per contest, which is good for 33rd in college football. The Louisville offense has compiled 335 yds of penalties on 35 violations, which has them sitting 36th in D-1 in terms of helping out the opposition.

Louisville has surrendered a total of 868 yards via the ground game (173.6 yards per game) and 9 touchdowns via the rush this year. They have yielded 8 touchdowns through the air and 262.0 yards/game, which has them ranked 122nd in the nation. The Cardinals defense has taken part in 352 plays, which is good for 105th in the country. The Cardinals are surrendering 28.2 PPG, which has them sitting 104th in D-1. This year, they have relinquished 141 points in total.

Who will win tonight's Cavaliers/Cardinals college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals -2.5

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