How it happened: Louisville fights back at Pitt, remains unbeaten
University of Louisville moves to 4-0 and 1-0 in the ACC following its first road and conference test of the season, a 34-27 win at Pittsburgh.
The game couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for the Cardinals. The defense surrendered 10 straight points before a Miller Moss pick-six to Pitt’s Rasheem Biles gave the Panthers a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Louisville and Moss stormed back in the second quarter with help from the punt coverage unit, giving the Cards the football inside the Panthers 10 10-yard line. Louisville scored 17 unanswered to tie it before Pitt’s Eli Holstein found Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr. wide open down the sideline to give his team a 10-point lead at the break.
The U of L defense held Pitt scoreless in the second half and intercepted Holstein twice (Antonio Watts, TJ Quinn). Holstein was benched for Cole Gonzales on the final two drives. Quinn finished the game with two interceptions, including the game-sealing pick with seconds remaining. Louisville forced five Pittsburgh turnovers, winning the turnover battle by a margin of four. Pittsburgh was also 1-of-10 converting on third downs.
After a rough start highlighted by the interception returned for a touchdown, Moss had his best game yet in the red and black. The senior quarterback came alive in the second half, finishing the game by completing 33 of 55 passes for 339 yards, four total touchdowns, and one interception. Moss hit eight different receivers, including Chris Bell, who had a career-best 10 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Caullin Lacy also had eight catches for 95 yards, 40 of which came after the catch.
Louisville’s offensive line struggled for the majority of the game, giving up 10 tackles for loss and two sacks. The Cards ran the ball 34 times for just 53 yards. Duke Watson led the team on the ground, gaining 47 on 14 carries.
The Cards certainly wouldn’t have won this game had it not been for the defense and special teams units. On top of the three interceptions, Rene Konga had a sack, and the team as a whole had five pass breakups and tackles for loss. The Panthers only gained 23 total yards in the fourth quarter on 1.6 yards per play.
Kickers Nick Keller and Cooper Ranvier also made field goals, with Keller’s tying the school record he set last week at 57 yards.
Louisville will face Virginia at home next Saturday, with kickoff at 3:30 on either ACC Network or ESPN2.
