Louisville Defense Ready for Test Against Virginia

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville football team completed the comeback to win 34-27 over Pittsburgh in its first Atlantic Coast Conference matchup of the season last weekend.

After going down 27-17 at halftime, the Louisville defense recorded three interceptions and did not give up a point in the second half. The game marked the second time in 23 tries that the Cards won after trailing by 17 or more points at the end of the first quarter.

Louisville defensive coordinator Ron English made a point to say that his defense had to eliminate the chunk play for Pitt.

UofL dominated the ball in the second half, totaling 19:38 minutes of possession to the Panthers' 10:22. In the second half, the Louisville defense only gave up one play over 20 yards and it was immediately followed by an interception from linebacker Antonio Watts.

Watts and linebacker TJ Quinn combined for the Cards' three interceptions. On his linebackers, English said, "We always preach 'look the ball into the tuck', and I thought [Watts] did that with his eyes. I thought that the one TJ made, particularly at the end where he had to go up and get it, he did a nice job of looking the ball into the tuck."

After being down early, defensive back D'Angelo Hutchinson said at halftime, the Louisville defense "just all knew we had to step up, make plays, and just continue to do what we were doing. Nobody pointed fingers, we were all just holding each other accountable, sticking together, and talking through it." Hutchinson and Quinn each totaled five tackles on the game, with Watts adding four of his own.

For his performance, Quinn was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week. His two interceptions against Pittsburgh were the first two of his career, including one that came in the final minute of the win.

The next test for the UofL defense is No. 24-ranked Virginia. The Cavaliers are coming off of a top-10 takedown over former No. 8 Florida State, in which they scored 46 points. The win over FSU marked UVA's third straight win with 40 or more points and its fifth in 2025.

Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was named ACC Quarterback of the Week for the second straight week after his five touchdowns against the Seminoles. Morris went 26-for-35 and threw for 229 yards with two passing touchdowns. Morris and the Cavaliers are 2-0 to start conference play after routing Stanford 48-20 on Sept. 20.

When asked about UVA's offense, English said, "They're tough. I think they're physically tough, I think they're mentally tough. If you look at their roster, they've got a lot of experience." He continued, "You've got to strap it up… and you've got to strike somebody because they are going to run right over the top of you if you don't."

On Morris specifically, English praised him. "I think he is very competitive. I think he can burst and run. I think he is a little stouter and harder to tackle than [former Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea], with just as much speed," English said. "We're going to have to get after him to play well. We're going to have to physically show up to play well on Saturday."

English and the UofL defense will be back in action against Virginia on Saturday in L&N Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

University of Louisville Athletics

Players Mentioned

D'Angelo Hutchinson

TJ Quinn

Antonio Watts

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