UofL football has had a tough time whenever they have visited Charlottesville, VA to play the University of Virginia. The games have usually been close, slogging affairs that aren’t necessarily pleasing to a fan’s eye. Also, they rarely win there. In fact, ever since Louisville joined the ACC and Virginia became their permanent cross-division rival, the Cards have only secured victory once there.
The year was 2016. The 5th-ranked Cards were led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. This game, unlike what has been typical, was a lot of offense despite the score. Jackson threw for 361 yards and accounted for all 4 TDs through the air. He also rushed for a team-high 88 yards on 17 carries. Jamari Staples had a team-high 7 receptions and 120 yards and caught one of Lamar’s 4 TDs. Reggie Bonnafon caught two of the other TDs.
The game came down to the last drive. After Virginia scores and coverts a 2-point conversion to go up by 1 with 1:57 left on the clock, Lamar Jackson leads an 8-play 75-yard drive down the field to win the game. With just 13 seconds left, Lamar hits Jaylen Smith in the very back corner of the end zone with a 29-yard TD strike to put UofL up 30-25. It was an incredible throw and even better catch and the final TD Lamar would throw on the day. They go for two and convert to make the score 32-25 which would be the final score.
Below, you can relive the single victory the Cards enjoyed in Charlottesville during the modern rivalry. Hopefully, a second victory is secured on Saturday afternoon.
