Pitt stuns No. 14 Louisville as Cardinals fall flat in first loss on heels of big win over Notre Dame

Pittsburgh disenchanted No. 14 Louisville 38-21 Saturday, securing its first victory towards an FBS opponent this season. Louisville got here into the sport using excessive with a 6-0 document and a high-profile win over Notre Dame underneath its belt, however could not stay tempo with the Panthers offense. The Panthers entered Saturday on a four-game dropping streak sooner than pulling the disenchanted and spoiling the Cardinals’ magical begin to the Brohm generation. 

The Cardinals took a 21-14 lead in a while sooner than halftime, however the tables became in the Panthers’ prefer all the way through the second one part. After a discipline function minimize the deficit to 4, Pitt compelled Louisville to punt after which embarked on a landing power that chewed greater than six mins off the clock. A three-yard landing run from operating again C’Bo Flemister gave the Panthers a 24-21 lead with 3:39 left in the 3rd quarter.

Just 25 seconds later, Panthers defensive again M.J. Devonshire intercepted Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer and took it 86 yards the opposite direction for a landing, giving Pitt a 31-21 edge. From that time on, the Panthers by no means seemed again, in the long run profitable by means of 17. 

“These guys have worked their tails off,” Pitt trainer Pat Narduzzi mentioned all the way through his on-field postgame interview. “We got a big win today. … Just happy for our guys.” 

Pitt used to be averaging simply 23.4 issues on the season — second-to-last in the ACC — sooner than Saturday. The group’s 38 issues have been their maximum towards an FBS opponent in 2023. Panthers quarterback Christian Veilleux ended the evening 12 of 26 passing for 200 yards and two touchdowns in his first get started. 

It used to be an incredibly sloppy appearing for a Cardinals group — albeit in damp climate — week got rid of from a marquee victory over then-No. 10 Fighting Irish. Louisville struggled to give protection to the soccer on an evening the place the Cardinals fumbled 5 occasions, regardless that they just misplaced one of the ones. Plummer ended the evening passing for 350 yards and a landing however used to be intercepted two times in the loss as Louisville used to be outscored 24-0 in the second one part. Compiling issues on offense used to be a hamstring damage to operating again Jawhar Jordan that compelled the Cardinals’ big name rusher to pass over the second one part. 

Pitt has now prevailed in seven of its previous 9 conferences with the Cardinals relationship again to 2008. Louisville beat the Panthers at house all the way through the 2022 season, however has now not received consecutive conferences towards Pitt since profitable seven instantly in the collection all the way through a stretch from 1990-2007.

Pitt will glance to hold the momentum of an disenchanted victory into its Week 8 street sport towards Wake Forest, whilst Louisville returns house to host No. 17 Duke in Week 9 following a bye in Week 8.