Louisville vs. Virginia: Score and Twitter Reaction

Heisman Trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson added another award-worthy moment to his resume Saturday, as he tossed a touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining to help the No. 5 Louisville Cardinals avoid an upset loss to the Virginia Cavaliers with a 32-25 victory at Scott Stadium.

The Cardinals (7-1, 5-1) trailed their ACC rivals by 10 points midway through the third quarter before the offense finally came to life. They outscored the Cavaliers 25-8 from that point forward to avoid seeing their College Football Playoff hopes go by the wayside.

With his performance, Jackson also remained the leader in the Heisman discussion. A second loss, with this one coming against a massive underdog, would have brought the likes of Michigan's Jabrill Peppers and Clemson's Deshaun Watson to the forefront.

Here's a look at the dynamic sophomore's stat line:

Total TDs	Passing	Rushing
4	24 of 41 for 361 yards with 1 INT	18 carries for 90 yards

Jackson and the Cardinals appeared to get back on track last week with a blowout victory over North Carolina State following a loss at Clemson and a narrow escape against Duke. The quarterback threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns after struggling through the air against the Blue Devils.

Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal passed along comments from the Florida native—who Odds Shark noted entered the week as a minus-300 favorite (bet $300 to win $100) to win the Heisman—about trying not to rely too much on his legs to make plays.

"I was like, 'Man, I have to improve,'" Jackson said. "'I can't just be out here looking bad like I run all the time,' so I tried to do less running and more throwing."

Louisville started slowly against a physical Virginia defense. While that would be worrisome for any team, it was more of a concern for the Cardinals, who have built early leads all season.

ESPN Stats & Info provided a tidbit to further that point:

The Cavaliers (2-6, 1-3) managed only a field goal while holding Jackson and Co. to a couple of punts, however, and then the Louisville offense got on the board.

A lightning-quick five-play, 87-yard drive in just over two minutes resulted in the first touchdown of the contest. Jackson jump-started the effort with a 37-yard run and then connected with Cole Hikutini for 28 yards before finding Jamari Staples from 15 yards out.

Nick Burch of Louisville Sports Live commented on the scoring play:

The touchdown didn't provide the spark Louisville was looking for, though. The offense remained stuck in neutral, and Virginia scored the next 14 points while keeping the Cardinals at bay.

Quarterback Kurt Benkert and wide receiver Doni Dowling hooked up for a nine-yard touchdown as the Cavaliers regained the lead late in the first quarter. They had taken over after a Louisville fumble and found the end zone two plays later.

Following a scoreless second quarter, Virginia stretched its lead to 10 early in the third. This time, Benkert led a six-play, 69-yard drive highlighted by a 41-yard completion to Dowling. One play later, Olamide Zaccheaus caught his sixth touchdown of the year.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports made it clear the pressure was on Jackson to lead a comeback:

The next five minutes proved crucial.

After a Jackson interception, Virginia had the ball at the Louisville 15-yard line. The Cavaliers gained just three yards, and kicker Sam Hayward missed a 30-yard field-goal attempt.

The Cardinals capitalized.

They traveled 80 yards in 3:25, led by three runs for double-digit yards, and Jackson tossed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Bonnafon to cap the drive.

Mark Ennis of Card Chronicle pointed out the importance of that march:

Louisville grabbed the lead back early in the fourth quarter after Jaire Alexander intercepted Benkert to set it up in the red zone. Unlike the Cavaliers in the third, the Cardinals didn't squander the chance, as Jackson and Bonnafon teamed up for another touchdown.

Mark Packer of College Sports Today thought Virginia had let the game slip away:

The Cavaliers woke up from their daze just in time to create a thrilling finish, however. Blanton Creque kicked a field goal to increase the Cardinals' lead to seven, but Virginia moved downfield with a 14-play drive against a defense that had put the clamps on it for much of the second half.

Dowling hauled in his second touchdown reception of the day to get the Cavaliers back within one, and head coach Bronco Mendenhall elected to go for two—a decision that paid off when Benkert hit Albert Reid for a successful conversion.

Jerry Ratcliffe of the Daily Progress spotlighted the gutsy call:

The valiant effort wasn't enough to stop Jackson. He guided Louisville downfield, covering 75 yards in 1:44, including a key fourth-down conversion to keep the drive from halting at midfield.

Then, in a moment that will land on his highlight reel, Jackson found Jaylen Smith for a 29-yard touchdown that put the Cardinals back on top with just 13 seconds left.

Danny Kanell of ESPN Radio thought that was enough to wrap up the Heisman race:

Louisville's schedule looks favorable for the remainder of the regular season, with no ranked teams on the slate for the final four games. But the same could have been said before Saturday's contest.

The problem is the Cardinals will lack opportunities to put up another statement victory, though they do visit Houston on Nov. 17.

Meanwhile, this was the marquee game left on the schedule for Virginia. The Cavaliers will turn their focus to Wake Forest next week with hopes of ending a three-game losing skid. They'll close the season against rival Virginia Tech on Nov. 26.

Postgame Reaction

ESPN passed along reaction from Jackson:

Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino talked about his offense and the team's second-half play, via ESPN:

Virginia Football ‏noted Mendenhall was happy with how his team performed.

"We played as hard for as long as I've ever seen a team play," he said.