Pitt-Louisville Preview: Everything You Need to Know
Pitt football will finally return to game action after extended time off due to a bye week, and the Panthers will open up ACC play against Louisville.
The Panthers have an 11-10 all-time edge in the series, but the Cardinals won the most recent matchup between the two with a blow out 37-9 a year ago.
Pitt enters Saturday with a 2-1 record after falling to West Virginia 31-24 in overtime back on Sept. 13. Louisville is 3-0 with wins over Group of Five opponents Eastern Kentucky, James Madison and Bowling Green.
Pitt Outlook
Pitt suffered its first setback of the season against West Virginia two weeks ago. The Panthers’ offense sputtered out of the gates with quarterback Eli Holstein failing to move the ball down field, and when he eventually did so, it resulted in an end zone interception.
After rushing for 30 yards on six carries, star running back Desmond Reid would miss the rest of the game with an undisclosed injury. He is questionable to play against Louisville.
Without Reid, Pitt’s ground game never took off and only gained 46 yards.
Holstein found the end zone twice with a short rushing score and a 14-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Williams in the fourth quarter that put that Panthers up by 10.
However, West Virginia mounted a comeback that featured a balanced approach and push the Pitt defense back. Running back Tye Edwards scored the eventual game-winning touchdown in overtime as he compiled 141 yards and three scores on the ground.
Pitt won its first two games of the season against FCS Duquesne 61-9 and Mid-American Central Michigan 45-17.
Holstein has completed 58-of-88 passes with nine passing touchdowns and three interceptions so far in 2025. His top receiving target has been Williams, who has 12 reception for 245 yards and three touchdowns.
The Pitt offense has scored 43.3 points per game, which is the 17th-best in the nation. The Panthers have totaled 424.3 yards of offense per game and have registered 315 passing yards per game — 19th in the country.
Defensively, Pitt has relied on its defensive line to lead the way. Despite the rough outing against WVU, Pitt still owns the 16th-best run defense, allowing 81 yards per game.
Pitt continues to get pressure in the backfield at a high rate, leading that nation in sacks per game with four and second in tackles for loss with 10 per game.
Linebacker Kyle Louis leads Pitt with 3.5 tackles for loss, while Rasheem Biles, Zach Crothers and Jimmy Scott have three each.
Louisville
HEAD COACH
Jeff Brohm (3rd season – 12th season overall)
Since Brohm has taken over as the head boss at Louisville, he has positioned the Cardinals in the top half of the ACC with a 22-8 record over that span.
The Cardinals are coming off a 9-4 season in 2024, and the year before, Brohm took the Cards to the ACC championship game as they compiled a 10-4 overall record and 7-1 mark in ACC play.
LOUISVILLE PREVIEW
Louisville has yet to play a Power Four opponent as it took care of three Group of Five teams.
The Cardinals are led by another transfer quarterback in Miller Moss, who came in from USC. He has completed 53-of-80 pass attempts for 690 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Louisville has received a bulk of its scoring from the ground game, along with some help on special teams.
Sophomore running back Isaac Brown, who is listed as questionable and only played a few snaps last week, has rushed for 248 yards and three touchdowns. Louisville’s second-leading rusher, Keyjuan Brown, will not play against Pitt.
Chris Bell has led the Cardinals in receiving this year, but the emergence of Caullin Lacy has been key. He has two punts returned for touchdowns and has caught 14 passes for 171 yards.
The Cardinals score 39.7 points per game on offense and have registered 415 total yards per game. The rushing offense ranks 76th in the country with 156 yards per game.
Defensively, Louisville has limited teams through the air, only allowing 114.7 yards per game. Similar to Pitt, the Cardinals have found success getting to the quarterback with 3.33 sacks per game — 12th in the country.
Transfer defensive lineman Clev Lubin leads the Cardinals with 19 tackles, four tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Linebacker TJ Quinn has added 17 tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack.
Spread
Louisville is a 3.5-point road favorite, according to Bet MGM. Pitt is +150 on the Money line and the over/under is set at 56.5.
Game Time
Pitt and Louisville is set to kick off Saturday at noon EST at Acrisure Stadium.
TV
Pitt vs. Louisville can be found on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst) and Taylor Davis (reporter) calling the game.
Radio
Pitt vs. Louisville will be live on 93.7 The Fan as well with Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Pat Bostick (analyst), Dorin Dickerson (sideline) and Larry Richert (sideline) calling the action.
Offer Alert
The 2025 Pitt football season is here, so take advantage of this limited time offer to sign up and receive all the news and intel surrounding the Panthers. Sign up today — $1 for the first week, plus a complimentary year of access to The Athletic. Click the image below to join!
