Game Day: Louisville vs. Pittsburgh

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (6-4, 4-3) vs. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (7-3, 3-3)

Game Time: 4 p.m.

Location: L&N Stadium: Louisville, Ky.

Television: ESPN2

Announcers: Mike Couzens (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (sideline)

Favorite: Louisville by 7.5

All-Time Series: Pittsburgh leads, 11-9

Last Meeting: Pittsburgh won, 38-21, on Oct. 14, 2023 in Pittsburgh

Series History:

Statistics:

Depth Chart:

Uniforms:

Relevant Videos:

Game Day Guide:

In-Game Highlights:

About Pittsburgh:

via Keith Wynne

OFFENSE

Pat Narduzzi will never be able to live down the fact that he ran off his offensive coordinator after the best season of his career. It is one of the weirdest and least defensible things a head coach has done in recent memory and yet, somehow, Narduzzi has kept his job. Well, this year started off with Narduzzi seemingly having a more open mind to having an explosive offense. Pitt put up a lot of yards and a lot of points. That hasn’t been the case over the last month but the Panthers have the weapons to get things back on track.

Eli Holstein is expected to be back as the starting quarterback after missing time with an injury. Holstein is essentially a mashup of all of the quarterbacks Louisville has seen this year. He has a great ability to escape pressure in the pocket due to his size and stature but he also has enough quickness to make people miss in the pocket and as a runner in space. Throw in his solid top-end speed and his arm strength and he is a huge threat to take over a game.

Holstein is putting up similar numbers to Tyler Shough with fewer explosive throws and more rushing yardage. He can be streaky with his accuracy and he can make poor decisions at times. But, the key aspect of his game that stands out to me is that he will take shots down the field and hunt big plays. There are risks to that but the rewards are what helped this offense become very explosive early in the year.

The most important player for any team in the ACC might just be Desmond Reid who leads Pitt in rushing as well as catches. He is ranked 5th nationally in all-purpose yards per game. He is in the top 10 in punt return average. He does everything for this offense and Pitt does a good job of not making the entire offense revolve around Reid. He gets to be the focal point without being the true focus which is a part of his success.

Reid was hobbled a bit in their game against Clemson last week and the Panthers also lost their backup running back to what looked like a broken leg. That leaves this backfield very thin and vulnerable with Reid taking so many hits. One has to wonder if Reid can continue to hold up as well as what Pitt does if he has to leave the game.

I questioned Pitt’s offensive firepower early this year when I watched them struggle in the first half against Cincinnati. Since halftime of that game, Pitt has shown that they have plenty of weapons and that they have the ability to be explosive and dangerous. They just haven’t been very consistent. The key to their explosiveness is at receiver where Konata Mumpfield and Kenny Johnson combine for a nice pairing.

Mumpfield is a possession receiver with the ability to stretch the field if needed. He works the middle of the field really well and he can get yards after the catch to get first downs. Johnson is the speed threat on the outside and he is developing into a consistent option for the offense as he gets more time on the field. These two team up with Raphael Williams to combine into a diverse and versatile receiver core that forces defenses to cover the entire field.

Another threat on this offense is at the tight end spot in Gavin Bartholomew. A true NFL-caliber player, Bartholomew returned to school this year and continued to be a menace as a pass catcher. He has great size and plenty of speed but I think his hands and route running are what set him apart from others. UofL will have to have a plan for him as they have had their struggles in the middle of the field. But with all of the options Pitt has, you can’t let this guy get lost in the shuffle.

Pitt’s offensive line has been dealing with injuries as of late which makes it hard to get a real assessment of the group. The group that played against Clemson had a nightmare of a day in pass protection but they held up over time. Pitt has done a good job running the ball this year and they have been okay in pass protection but they have let free runners through more than you’d like to see.

DEFENSE

For what seems like the infinite year in a row, Pitt has a great defense that executes their system well. Randy Bates has been the longtime defensive coordinator for Pat Narduzzi and his group this year is putting up great numbers in his scheme. His defense brings pressure better than just about anyone in the country and they force quarterbacks to rush their decisions and not trust their eyes. Pitt is on a losing streak currently, but it’s not because of this defense.

The Panthers have great depth on the defensive line and no one player has separated from the group as a key player. Justin Scott is very productive at defensive end while Nate Matlack has played well on the other edge while splitting time with standout true freshman Sincere Edwards. Defensive tackle is the spot that jumps out when you watch their games. They are all quick and disruptive and I think they are at their best when Pitt is bringing pressure. They hit their gaps well and open up space for others to get home.

Pitt’s linebackers are the best in the ACC and it could be argued that they are the best group in the country. Kyle Louis is ranked in the top-10 nationally in tackles for loss and interceptions. He is in the top-25 in sacks. He is also ranked in the top-40 in tackles. Those are All-American numbers and he is consistent in his play. There has not been a game where he hasn’t made an impact.

Brandon George and Rasheem Biles aren’t putting up the numbers that Louis is but they’re not far behind. Biles is second on the team in tackles for loss and he started the Syracuse game off with a pick-six before Louis did the same a short time later. George is the veteran leader of the group who knows the defense inside and out as 5th-year senior. Add in Braylon Lovelace as a rotation player and this very deep group makes as many plays as most entire defenses.

Each year, Pitt has a guy or two in the secondary that stand out but this year is a little different. They don’t have a key guy at cornerback but Rashad Battle has been a good player for them. He has great size at 6-3/200 and fits what they do well in their aggressive scheme. This group of corners is not at the level of some of the other Pitt teams but they are far from a weakness. Their coverage matches their pressure well and their size helps them defend contested passes which they see often.

Safety is another strong spot for the defense with Donovan McMillon having a great season. McMillon is the leading tackler on the team but he has been much better this year in pass coverage. He has 7 PBUs on the season to go along with an interception. He is an eraser on the back end which is obviously needed when you’re as aggressive as Pitt is up front. Jason McIntyre and Phillip O’Brien make up the rest of the veteran group.

Motivational Tweets:

Every Pitt fan tweet shit-talking Louisville seems to be about volleyball. We’ll take care of that next Wednesday.

Excitement Level: 7.7

After last week, it’s hard not to be worried about a flat finish to the season. Obviously there’s more focus on next week’s game than this one, which sucks for the seniors, but it is what it is. Going to need to see a solid effort in this one to feel at least decent about snapping the five-game losing streak.

Game Attire: Red “Louisville Football” sweatshirt

Feels right.

Pregame Meal: Bagel, Trader Joe’s protein bar

This is an awkward kickoff time for a pregame meal. Probably just going to rock the late breakfast and then have a hopefully celebratory dinner after the game.

Bold Prediction: Louisville intercepts two passes in this game

No more, no less.

Jeff Brohm Trick Play Alert Level: Inchworm (slightly below average)

Like all of us, the alert level isn’t really sure what to think right now.

Predicted Star of the Game: Ashton Gillotte

Let’s have a proper home finish, 9.

Notable:

—Louisville will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday. The team will be wearing all red uniforms and fans are encouraged to wear red to support the senior class.

—Louisville is 5-0 against ACC opponents on Senior Day.

—Louisville is 60-44-1 all-time in their final home game of a season.

—Louisville is looking to avoid a three-year losing streak in Senior Day games for the first time since losing five consecutive Senior Day games from 2008-2012.

—Louisville is looking to avoid having a three-game home losing streak in a season for the first time since 2018.

—Pitt has won seven of the past nine matchups against Louisville, but hasn’t beaten the Cardinals on the road since U of L joined the ACC in 2014.

—Pitt is 3-4 all-time in road games against Louisville.

—Louisville’s 284.8 passing yards per game ranks 15th in the country.

—Pitt enters Saturday ranked second nationally with an average of 8.7 tackles for loss per game.

—Pitt boasts college football’s No. 3 pass rush with an average of 3.50 sacks per game. The Panthers have also intercepted 12 passes, the 19th most in the nation.

—Twelve of the 24 games that Louisville has played under head coach Jeff Brohm have been decided by one score. The Cardinals are 7-5 in those games.

—Louisville is 164-176-5 all-time in the month of November, including a 101-81-2 record at home and a 63-95-3 mark on the road.

—Louisville is 9-3 in home games under the direction of head coach Jeff Brohm.

—Louisville is 122-48 all-time in games played at L&N Cardinal Stadium.

—The Cardinals are 28-16 at home in ACC games since joining the league in 2014.

—Louisville had won eight consecutive conference home games before its current two-game losing streak after defeats to SMU and Miami.

—Pitt’s Desmond Reid ranks fifth nationally with an average of 157.67 all-purpose yards per game.

—Louisville is 1-3 in games against Pitt since joining the ACC.

—Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi is 3-1 in games against Louisville.

—Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm is 0-1 in games against Pittsburgh.

—Louisville is 5-4 all-time in games played on Nov. 23. The Cards have won three straight games on the date, the most recent coming via a 56-34 win over Syracuse in 2019.

—Louisville had won eight straight games when not allowing a sack before last week’s loss to Stanford.

—Louisville is 9-0 in ACC regular season games under Jeff Brohm when allowing 30 points or less. They are 2-4 when allowing more than 30 points.

—Louisville wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks leads the ACC in receiving yards with 945.

—Louisville freshman running back Isaac Brown is 197 yards shy of becoming U of L’s 23rd all-time 1,000-yard rusher.

—Louisville has lost 10 consecutive games when forcing no turnovers and recording no sacks. The most recent of those games came earlier this season against SMU.

—Louisville is outscoring opponents 99-41 in the third quarter so far this season.

—Louisville is 7-0 under head coach Jeff Brohm when it doesn’t commit a turnover.

—Louisville is 9-0 under Brohm when it wins the turnover battle and 7-8 when it doesn’t.

—Louisville has a 10-game winning streak when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, last losing 31-16 at Clemson on Nov. 12, 2022.

—Louisville is 21-2 over the past five seasons and 2-0 this season when shutting out its opponent in the first quarter.

—Louisville has won 34 of its last 38 games when holding teams to less than 300 yards of offense. One of those losses came earlier this season against Notre Dame.

—Louisville has won 15 straight games when holding its opponent scoreless in the first half.

—Since 2019, Louisville is 29-4 when winning the turnover battle, and just 6-24 when losing it. The Cardinals are 3-0 when winning the turnover battle this season, and 2-2 when losing it. U of L and Stanford both committed one turnover in last week’s game.

—Louisville is currently riding a consecutive game scoring streak that spans 311 games dating back to a 31-0 loss to Florida State during the 2000 season. The streak ranks as the second longest in the ACC behind only Virginia Tech, and the 10th-longest nationally.

—Louisville is 203-16 all-time when scoring 35 or more points in a game. The Cards are also 6-123 all-time when allowing opponents to score 40 or more points.

Quotable:

—“We want to feel the pain of the loss and there is a lot of pain to feel. I think myself, coaches, and players feel the pain and you need to let it motivate you to want to not let it happen again. At the same time, you cannot let it get you down, you have got to respond and move forward. That’s the great thing about sports and football you are going to have some tough times and this was a game you would like to have back but it is over with and you have to move on. We have two really good opponents to finish the season, and it starts with Pittsburgh, who has played really well this year not only are they great on defense but offensively they have played better.” —Jeff Brohm

—”Louisville, obviously Jeff Brohm, coming off a loss at Stanford. Great football coach. Known him a long time. He’s an offensive guru with his brother Brian as well. He’s the offensive coordinator, but obviously Jeff, he’s the OC and calling the plays. I think he does an outstanding job.” —Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi

—”We have two regular season games left, two really good teams and we’ll see what we’re made of. We get an opportunity to play a really good football team that’s played really well this year. We’ll measure ourselves against them and I expect our guys to work hard this week and come out with a great attitude and go to work and go out there and compete on gameday. We’ll have to play solid football in all three segments to win.” —Jeff Brohm

Card Chronicle Prediction: Louisville 29, Pittsburgh 24