TJ Quinn ices Louisville's victory over Pittsburgh
Louisville starts conference play on the right foot, beating Pittsburgh 34-17. The Panthers didn’t make it easy, getting off to a quick 17-0 start and putting the Cards on the ropes. It took a while for the offense to start moving and the defense to settle in. Louisville tied the game late in the second quarter before a few mental mistakes allowed Pitt to take a 10-point lead heading to the locker room.
Coach Brohm and defensive coordinator Ron English were in an upward battle. Louisville flipped the switch in the second half, relying on its defense to lock in.
The Cards needed a big-time comeback, and linebacker TJ Quinn was the center of attention for Louisville’s winning plays.
“To be down 17, find a way to tie it up. Be down 10, find a way to take the lead. Getting multiple turnovers in the second half, our defense held them to 0 points,” Brohm said. “I thought the BC game comeback last year was great. This one, I think, tops that.”
Stepping up with their backs against the wall, Quinn helped lead Louisville to a massive comeback and a 4-0 start to the season.
Quinn shows veteran presence
Quinn is playing in his fifth year of college football. Being a veteran leader on defense, Quinn was bound to step up when the lights were bright.
“Proud of our veterans, of course, TJ Quinn and up front, I thought we did a really good job of playing hard and getting in the backfield for the most part,” Brohm said. “When you find a way to win, it’s a much more pleasant ride home.”
With star linebacker Stanquan Clark presumably out for the season, uncertainty surrounded the defense. Both Tennessee transfer Kalib Perry and former highly touted recruit TJ Capers saw increased roles with Clark sidelined. But no impact was larger than Quinn’s.
“With defense, we found a way to settle down in the second half. We gave up some big plays in the first half. We haven’t faced a team of this caliber, so it was good to see,” Brohm added.
Key plays
Amongst the many key plays Louisville had to make, two stand out in particular.
Early in the fourth quarter, Louisville tied it up at 27 on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Miller Moss to Jaleel Skinner. Pitt was looking to respond in a big way, retaking the lead and putting the pressure right back on the Cards, but Quinn had other plans. On the second play of the drive, Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein threw a pass right to the Louisville linebacker. Quinn was able to put the Cards offense in Panthers territory, setting them up for success. Only a few plays later, Moss found tight end Nate Kurisky in the corner of the endzone to take the lead. The offense took advantage of the Quinn turnover, which ended up being the game-winning score.
“You know, when you’re able to get some momentum, they made plays and they got turnovers and just did a really good job,” said Brohm.
Quinn wasn’t satisfied with the one interception. When Louisville couldn’t end the game by running the clock to zero, Quinn took matters into his own hands. Pitt was backed up in its own end zone, needing a miracle to tie the game up. Backup quarterback Cole Gonzales zipped a pass 20 yards straight to the linebacker, icing the ballgame.
Quinn did it all, getting his hands on the ball against the Panthers, tallying two interceptions and a pass breakup. He also added five tackles and a quarterback hit. His key play shifted momentum for the Cards and iced the game when it was all set and done. Louisville looks to add on this undefeated season against 4-1 Virginia next Saturday.
“When stuff starts hitting the fan, and you think what the heck’s going on, you’ve got to still believe in yourself and your teammates and just have to play till the end. Lucky for us, we were the tougher team in the second half, and we found the way to pull this victory out in dramatic fashion.”
