U of L scores late to dodge Virginia upset
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Lamar Jackson threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Smith with 13 seconds to rally No. 5 Louisville football team past Virginia 32-25 Saturday afternoon.
In all, Jackson threw four touchdown passes, including two to Reggie Bonnafon, Jamari Staples had 120 yards and a TD receiving and Jaire Alexander made two interceptions to carry the Cardinals (7-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who trailed 17-7 midway through the third quarter.
The Cards trailed 25-24 with 1:57 to go after a Virginia touchdown and two-point conversion, but Jackson, the Heisman Trophy favorite, engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive to put the Cards back in front. He found Smith in the back right corner of the end zone to give the Cards the lead, and Jackson and Smith connected again on a two-point play.
Jackson finished with 361 yards passing and 90 yards rushing for U of L, which kept its hope College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Louisville rallied from a 17-7 second-half deficit to lead 24-17 after Blanton Creque’s field goal with 8:09 to play.
But on an ensuing 14-point drive, the Cavaliers (2-6, 1-3) converted two fourth downs, including a 30-yard completion by Kurt Benkert to Keeon Johnson to U of L's 4 on fourth-and-seven with 2:07 left.
On the next play, Benkert connected with Doni Dowling on a 4-yard touchdown and followed up with a completion to Albert Reid in the right flat for the two-point conversion and the one-point lead.
Despite the late heroics by Jackson, much of the game was a struggle for the Cards.
Louisville, which has excelled early in games, was out of rhythm to start this one.
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With U of L starting its first drive deep in its own territory, Jackson then slightly overthrew a wide-open James Quick on what surely would have gone for a 96-yard touchdown, then Quick couldn't catch another deep throw that maybe could have gone for a touchdown, too.
Virginia returned the ensuing punt inside U of L's 10-yard line and ended up with a field goal - the first time this season that Louisville's opponent scored before the Cards.
After Jackson found Jamari Staples for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7-3 U of L lead, the Cards stumbled again.
Jeremy Smith fumbled an inside run at U of L's 29-yard line, and the Cavaliers scored two plays later on Kurt Benkert's perfectly placed 9-yard throw to Doni Dowling in the left side of the end zone.
Up 10-7, Virginia was the first team to lead Louisville after the first quarter.
Alexander intercepted Benkert in the red zone to thwart another Virginia scoring chance midway through the second quarter, but the Cards proceeded to turn it over on the downs at the Cavaliers' 40.
Late in the half, Virginia missed a chance to get a bigger lead when, facing fourth-and-fourth at U of L's 23, the Cavaliers elected to try a halfback pass that didn't fool the Cards and fell incomplete.
Louisville couldn't capitalize.
The Cards were flagged for holding three times, and Jackson was sacked once on their last possession of the half, keeping the score 10-7 before intermission.
Virginia extended its lead early in the second half.
Benkert found Dowling down the right sideline for a 42-yard catch-and-run in which he eluded a tackle to get free, then hurdled Zykiesis Cannon for extra yardage at the end. Olamide Zaccheaus caught a 9-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
Things could have gotten worse for Louisville after Jackson was intercepted by Quin Blanding, who returned it 30 yard to the Cardinals' 15. But the U of L defense made a stand, Virginia's Sam Hayward missed a 30-yard field-goal try.
Louisville then marched 80 yards in eight plays, capped by Jackson's 8-yard TD pass to Bonnafon at the 4:03 mark of the third quarter.
Alexander later intercepted Benkert and dodged multiple tacklers in returning it 25 yards to Virginia's 12. Jackson connected with Bonnafon from 10 yards out two plays later for Louisville's first lead with 13:47 remaining.
