Five takeaways: Louisville shows grit at Pittsburgh

There was a lot to like and also a lot not to like in Louisville’s 34-27 win at Pittsburgh. 

The Cards got off to a poor start, falling behind 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. But in the end, a turnover margin of four led by a defense that held the Panthers scoreless in the second half propelled Louisville to its fourth win of the season. 

Here are five takeaways from Louisville’s ACC opener.

1. This team fights 

It may seem obvious, but being down 17 on the road in conference almost never results in victory. Louisville’s sleepy start was made up for by its mental makeup. 

Sure, penalties hurt the Cardinals all game, but they still honed in on the details down the stretch. Things like fighting to the end of the whistle to recover the muffed punt and holding Pitt to 1-of-10 on third downs, not only show this team is well-coached, but that the players are playing with an edge.

This defense seems to have a mental fortitude that the group didn’t have a year ago, and today, made the plays necessary to get back into the game. 

“I thought the BC game, comeback, last year was great. This one I think tops that,” head coach Jeff Brohm said postgame. “I couldn’t be prouder of them. Because they stood in there and took some blows and got right back up and kept swinging and fighting. Found a way to get the victory.” 

This team could have taken a beating, but instead fought for a win on the road, passing the first test of adversity. 

2. Chris Bell isn’t being talked enough 

Bell quietly had a career day receiving the football. He posted personal highs in catches (10) and receiving yards (135) while also adding a touchdown. 

Bell was physical against Pittsburgh’s press coverage and has improved drastically over the middle of the field and making catches through traffic. His improvements haven’t been talked about enough this offseason. He’ll still have the occasional drop, but he is an elite one-on-one receiver and runs a 4.3 40-yard dash. 

Saturday, Bell showed his best. Pitt couldn’t handle him outside the numbers, and once he started breaking inside, tackling became an issue for the secondary. 

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound wideout has easily been Miller Moss’ favorite target this season and is well on his way to a 1,000-yard season and a chance to be selected in the NFL Draft. 

3. Miller Moss plays near-perfect post-interception 

Moss played two games in one. Before throwing the interception returned for a touchdown to end the first quarter, Louisville had punted the ball twice, gaining 18 yards of total offense. It wasn’t pretty, but the pick-six was uglier. That’s been the worst of Miller Moss this season, but he turned it into his best game in a Cards uniform. 

The senior quarterback completed 33 of 51 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns, also adding a score on the ground. Moss was efficient in the quick game and played mistake-free in the second half. He got it out to his playmakers quickly and led three six-play or more scoring drives, leading the Cards 17 points after the break. 

Moss could have easily sheltered in place after the interception, but he responded in a big way. We’ve seen the highs and lows of Louisville’s signal-caller in just one game, and now the highs need to be consistent. 

4. The offensive line must improve 

There was no Louisville run game, and the Pitt pass rush was in the backfield early and often on Miller Moss dropbacks. This unit was under some question through the first month of the season, and now, arguably more so.

The staff has tried to move guys around up front, but they haven’t seemed to find the right combination yet. Pittsburgh is home to one of the best defensive fronts in the ACC, but 53 rushing yards on 34 attempts isn’t good enough with the running back talent Louisville has. 

Speaking of the backfield, the running backs struggled in pass coverage against the Panthers’ linebackers. With a here-and-there o-line, this is something that will also have to improve. Duke Watson toughed out an injury and led the team with 47 yards. 

5. Cards’ defense continues to roll

Special teams and defense kept Louisville in the game when the offense needed them to. 

Ron English’s defense has taken a step up this year. Pittsburgh beat them deep a couple of times, but for the most part, the secondary made enough plays to prevent the Panthers’ passing attack from beating them. Snatching three interceptions helps, too. 

Antonio Watts might have had the most important play in the game when he intercepted Eli Holstein at the goal line. It was a sweet one-handed grab while Louisville was trailing seven, preventing the lead from ballooning to double digits in the second half. 

The defensive line was fantastic yet again, and T.J. Quinn’s two-interception game will get the majority of the talk. But as a whole, the Cards’ defense held Pitt to 2-of-14 on third and fourth down and kept the Panthers to just 14 first downs and 80 rushing yards.