Close. Almost. Nearly. But not quite.

The Virginia football team put a Halloween weekend scare into No. 5 Louisville on Saturday, but the ghosts of what might have been again ripped out the Hoos’ broken hearts. After UVA secured a 25-24 lead in the final two minutes on a fearless 2-point conversion, the Cardinals marched 75 yards and scored on a pinpoint touchdown pass to claim the 32-25 win.

One week after an uninspiring effort against a ranked North Carolina team, the performance reframed the ongoing improvement evaluations for Virginia fans. Whether it was Louisville’s ranking, Lamar Jackson’s Heisman Trophy aspirations, or the canyonesque 33-point spread, the near upset stirred feelings of progress alongside the obvious disappointment. It even drew a despite the outcome, was today possibly a good day for Virginia football question from a reporter in postgame interviews.

Moral victory and all of that. To wit, Bronco Mendenhall cited progress as part of his postgame thoughts.

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