By : Mouaz Pircha
(Photo/Mouaz Pircha-The Mojo Network)
No. 16 Louisville heads to Lane Stadium on Saturday for an ACC matchup with Virginia Tech, and oddsmakers have the Cardinals favored by 10.5. On paper, Louisville looks like the more complete team, but Lane is never an easy trip, especially with a physical run game coming at you for four quarters.
Louisville’s offense has been unstoppable, averaging 34 points a game and leaning on a run game that’s been tough to slow down. Isaac Brown has turned into one of the breakout stars in college football, leading the nation in yards per carry at 8.7 and fresh off a 205-yard performance. And while the offense gets plenty of attention, the defense has been just as steady, sitting top-15 nationally in total defense and top-25 against the run.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, comes off an emotional double-overtime win over Cal a game that showed exactly what this team wants to be under interim head coach Philip Montgomery. The Hokies lead the ACC in rushing at 231 yards per game, with Kyron Drones, Marcellous Hawkins, and Terion Stewart forming a backfield built to punish defenses.
The concern for Tech is on defense. The Hokies have struggled all season, giving up nearly 30 points per game and ranking outside the top 100 in scoring defense. That's a tough formula against a Louisville team that can hurt you in multiple ways.
This one likely comes down to the trenches. If Tech’s run game gets rolling and they can turn this into a grind-it-out battle, the crowd could become a factor and things could get interesting late. But if Louisville’s front handles the run early and forces Drones into obvious passing spots, the Cardinals’ balance and depth give them the edge.
Virginia Tech has the ingredients to make it a fight at home, but Louisville enters as the steadier, more rounded team.