Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Pitt Panthers
No. 24 Louisville Cardinals (1-1, 0-1 ACC) at No. 21 Pittsburgh Panthers (2-0, 1-0 ACC)
- Kickoff: Saturday, September 26 at 12:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy skies. High 80F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 10%.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 840 AM / 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Pittsburgh -3.0
- All-Time Series: Pittsburgh leads 9-8
- Last Meeting: Pittsburgh won 45-34 on Nov. 21, 2015 (Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, Pa.)
The No. 24 Cardinals dropped their ACC opener to No. 17 Miami 47-34 at Cardinal Stadium, but totaled 516 yards of total offense and ran a season high 85 plays. Louisville is averaging 6.4 yards per play after the first two games of the season, and the Cardinals are ranked 17th in that category.
Owning a 2-0 record, the Panthers are seeking their first 3-0 start since 2014 after wins vs. Austin Peay (55-0) and Syracuse (21-10). Pitt's vaunted defense held the Orange to just 171 total yards, and the Panthers boast a top 10 rushing defense, total defense, pass defense and scoring defense in FBS.
Game Notes
Louisville:
- Quarterback Malik Cunningham went 26-of-36 for 307 yards and three touchdown vs. Miami. It was the junior’s eighth-straight game with a passing touchdown and ninth multi-touchdown passing game of his career. The native of Montgomery, Ala., extended his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to eight on the six-yard connection with Tutu Atwell in the third quarter. He is tied for the national lead with six touchdown passes in 2020.
- Running back Javian Hawkins recorded his ninth career 100-yard rushing game — the third against a ranked opponent — with 164 yards on 27 carries in the loss. It was his seventh time going over the century mark at home in his career, tying him for seventh on the Louisville career list. The native of Titusville, Fla. is the ninth player in UofL history to record three games of at least 150 rushing yards.
- Wide receiver Tutu Atwell registered his ninth 100-yard receiving game of his career and his fourth multi-touchdown performance. The native of Miami finished with a game high eight receptions for 114 yards and two scores. After two games, the 5-foot-9 speedster leads the Cardinals with 15 receptions for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
- Louisville is averaging 6.4 yards per play after the first two games of the season. The Cardinals are ranked 17th in that category, having 39 plays of 10 or more yards (3rd nationally) and 12 of over 20 yards.
- The Cardinals are looking to avoid their first two-game losing streak in the Scott Satterfield era. After each loss last season, the Cardinals rebounded with a win, averaging 36.6 points in games following a loss.
- Big plays are hurting the Cardinals’ defense, ranking near the bottom nationally after allowing six plays of 30 or more yards and four of over 40. Louisville gave up a pair of 75-yard touchdown scores in the loss to Miami last Saturday.
- The Cardinals hit the road for the first time where they were 3-3 last season, including 2-2 in the ACC. The Cardinals are 11-13 away from home since joining the league in 2014. They will play three-straight road games for the first time since 2012 when they played at FIU, Southern Mississippi and Pitt. The Cardinals went 3-0 during that swing.
- Linebacker Dorian Etheridge and C.J. Avery are the team’s top tacklers with 15 and 13 respectively. Etheridge is for fifth with an average of 2.5 tackles for loss per game, while Avery recorded 10 tackles in the loss to Miami — the third double-digit tackle game of his career
Pittsburgh:
Owning a 2-0 record, the Panthers are seeking their first 3-0 start since 2014.
Dating back to the 2000 sea- son, Pitt has won its opening three games only three times (2000, 2009 and 2014). In each of those seasons, the 3-0 starts were springboards to bowl invitations.
Since 2015, Pat Narduzzi has directed the Panthers to 25 victories in ACC play, the third- highest win total during that span, trailing only Clemson (39) and Miami (26).
Making his 2020 debut against Syracuse, defensive end Rashad Weaver had two sacks, three TFLs and seven total tackles to earn Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors. Weaver missed all of the 2019 season due to injury.
Safety Paris Ford, a highly regarded run stopper, has two interceptions on the young season. He ranks first nationally (tied) in total interceptions and third in INTs per game (1.0 avg.).
Pitt boasts top 10 national rankings in rushing defense (first, 26.0 avg.), total defense (third, 154.0 avg.), pass defense (fourth, 128.0 avg.) and scoring defense (sixth, 5.0 ppg.).
Pitt has defeated a Top 25 team in four consecutive seasons.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett's senior season is off to a productive start. Through two contests, Pickett has completed nearly 70% of his passes (39 of 56) for 492 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
The Panthers are yielding only 26 rushing yards per game, the lowest ground output allowed in the country to date.
Depth Charts
Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Pitt
Uniform Report
Louisville will be wearing black helmets & pants accompanied by white jerseys.
Team Captains
Louisville (season): Quarterback Micale Cunningham, wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick, inside linebacker CJ Avery, inside linebacker Dorian Etheridge and tight end Marshon Ford
Pittsburgh (season): Safety Damar Hamlin, defensive end Patrick Jones II, center Jimmy Morrissey and quarterback Kenny Pickett
Additional Coverage
- Louisville HC Scott Satterfield Previews Pitt
- Satterfield Still Has Faith That Defense Will Improve From Last Season
- Louisville Wanting To Fine-Tune Offense Ahead of Pitt Matchup
- COVID-19 Means Changes For Louisville's First Road Trip
- Louisville Offense Preparing For "Big Time Test" vs. Pitt Defense
- Passing Game For Louisville Seeing Early Improvements
- Offensive Line Garnering Early Praise From Louisville Coaches & Teammates
- Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Pitt
- Tale of the Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. Pitt
(Photo of Javian Hawkins: Atlantic Coast Conference)
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