Virginia’s hopes for an upset of No. 21 Louisville looked bleak when Alec Vozenilek lined up to punt with less than six minutes to go Saturday.

The Cardinals had stormed to a 21-20 lead with touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter. A tiring Cavalier defense wasn’t getting as much pressure on the pocket and a near interception by Henry Coley didn’t provide the momentum stopper the hosts needed. The visitors, meanwhile, were about to get the ball near their own 40-yard line with a chance to throw the knockout punch.

Then the Hoos got an unexpected gift.

Vozenilek punted the ball 36 yards and Louisville’s James Quick signaled for the fair catch. Teammate Michaelee Harris, however, lost his spacing and bumped into Quick. The ball bounced free and fell to the field as a fumble. Virginia’s Kelvin Rainey, a redshirt sophomore from Houston, snagged the ball with one hand and held on with all he had.

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