The Pitt Panthers are coming off a heartbreaking 24-20 loss to No. 20 Clemson over the weekend. The loss dropped Pitt's record to 7-3 on the season, and the Panthers will look to bounce back this weekend with a road game at Louisville. Here is everything you need to know about the Cardinals.
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Game details: Saturday November 23, 2024. 4:00 L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium (60,800)
Current Odds: Pitt +7.5 // O/U 57.5 (DraftKings)
Television: ESPN2 — Mike Couzens (play-by-play) Brock Osweiler (analyst) Stormy Buonantony (reporter)
Radio: 93.7 The Fan — Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Pat Bostick (analyst), Larry Richert and Dorin Dickerson (reporters)
Opponent: University of Louisville (established 1798)
School location: Louisville, Kentucky
Season record:6-4 (4-3 ACC)
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm, 2nd season (16-8 at Louisville, 82-52 in 11 seasons overall)
Last Meeting: October 14, 2023: Pitt 38, Louisville 21
All-Time Series: Pitt leads 11-9
National ranks
Total Offense: Louisville 20th (447.8 ypg) // Pitt 40th (429.8 ypg)
Scoring Offense: Louisville 15th (36.1 ppg) // Pitt 24th (35 ppg)
Rushing: Louisville 62nd (163 ypg) // Pitt 83rd (144.4 ypg)
Passing: Louisville 15th (284.8 ypg) // Pitt 16th (284.4 ypg)
Total Defense: Louisville 74th (372.8 ypg) // Pitt 62nd (359.9 ypg)
Scoring Defense: Louisville 73rd (25.6 ppg) // Pitt 69th (25 ppg)
Run Defense: Louisville 59th (139.5 ypg) // Pitt 13th (104.6 ypg)
Pass Defense: Louisville 88th (233.3 ypg) // Pitt 112th (255.3 ypg)
About the Cardinals: Louisville made a surprise appearance in the ACC Championship game in 2023 under Jeff Brohm. The native son of Louisville looked like he turned an immediate corner with his alma mater and there was a ton of optimism entering his second season. The Cardinals have not followed through as much this season with a 6-4 mark through ten games.
Louisville scored its most impressive win at the start of November with a 33-21 takedown over Clemson on the road, but then followed it up with a head-scratching loss to Standford over the weekend. That defeat knocked the Cardinals out of the national polls and gives them a tough two-game stretch to finish the regular season.
Louisville's offense has not had much of a problem this season, which is to be expected with Brohm leading things. The Cardinals rank top 20 nationally in total offense, scoring, and passing yards. Veteran transfer quarterback Tyler Shough is enjoying his best season as a college player with 2,774 yards 21 touchdowns, to just one interception.
Alabama transfer Ja'Corey Brooks has played like one of the top receivers in the country as leads the league in receiving yards with 945 and has also posted eight touchdowns. Freshman tailback Isaac Brown is the leading candidate to win ACC Rookie of the Year with 803 rushing yards on the season.
The Cardinals' four losses could mostly be attributed to the defensive side of the ball. Louisville has given up 31 or more points in all four defeats this season. In Saturday's loss to Stanford, the Cardinals allowed over 400 yards to the worst offense in the ACC outside of Florida State.
STORYLINES
Louisville vs Pitt football first look: Odds, keys to game, players to watch, more (Courier Jorunal)
Louisville starts slow, crumbles late in ugly 38-35 loss to Stanford (WDRB)
Louisville football loses first evert Battle of the Cardinal(s) (The Louisville Cardinal)
Opponent Breakdown: Pitt Panthers Offense (CardChronicle)
Transcript: Jeff Brohm recaps Stanford, previews Pitt (CardChronicle)
Louisville DB Tayon Holloway arrested, charged with assault, suspended from team (CardChronicle)
Louisville Upset by ACC Bottom-Feeder Stanford, 38-35 (CardChronicle)
Names to know
Tyler Shough has been taken at least one snap for six straight seasons in college football. The former four-star started at Oregon, then landed at Texas Tech, before arriving at Louisville for his sixth and final season. Shough has enjoyed his best season yet guiding Jeff Brohm's offense and has gone over the 300-yard mark four times this season.
Isaac Brown is the team's top rusher with 803 yards on the season. The true freshman out of Miami has been an effective weapon for the Cardinals in his first season, although he did leave last week's game against Stanford in the first half and did not return. Brown has four 100-yard games this season, including a 151-yard outburst against Clemson earlier this month.
Should Brown be out for an extended time, the Cardinals have another talented freshman back they can lean on. Duke Watson rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford last week with Brown sidelined and is certainly capable of popping some big runs with his 8.5 yards per attempt this season.
Ja'Corey Brooks was a key contributor for Alabama back in 2022. Brooks caught eight touchdowns for the Crimson Tide that year, but an injury derailed his season in 2023. Looking for a fresh start, Brooks found one in Louisville. He is the ACC's leading receiver and looks like a sure-fire draft pick come April.
Chris Bell is the No. 2 option for Louisville in the passing game. He has 32 catches for 492 yards and three touchdowns on the season, surpassing all of his 2023 totals with two more regular season games remaining. Bell is coming off of a strong performance with nine catches for 112 yards and a touchdown against Stanford.
TJ Quinn could be called the leader of this defense. He leads the Cardinals with 66 tackles and is coming off a game in which he recorded 13 stops against Stanford. Quinn was all-ACC honorable mention in 2023, and has seemingly elevated his game further as a redshirt junior.
Stanquan Clark was a coveted recruit in the class of 2023, and saw some action as a true freshman,. Now in his second year, the light really turned on for the athletic 6-foot-3 and 230-pound linebacker. Clark is second on the team in tackles with 60 stops and also has 4.5 TFLs.
Big Jared Dawson is tied for the team lead with 6.5 TFLs this season. Dawson is a veteran, but has mostly served in a support role over the past few seasons. In his first year as a regular, he has performed with four sacks, including one last week against Stanford.
Ashton Gillotte is probably the most well-known player on this Louisville defense, though his production has dipped a bit from previous years. After recording 21 sacks over his first three seasons, including 11 in 2023, Gillotte has been limited to 2.5 sacks and 6.5 TFLs this season.
