Four Takeaways: Pitt Failing to Back Up Big Offseason Talk

LOUISVILLE -- The Pitt Panthers lost for the second time in three games. In an ugly loss to Louisville, they turned the ball over four times - three times inside of the Cardinals' 30 yard line - and the defense was worn down by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.

A loss this disappointing rarely comes from one source, so there's plenty to breakdown. Here's four takeaways from Pitt's third loss of 2022.

Pitt Fails to Back Up Big Talk

Confidence is good and for this Pitt team, confidence had been earned by an ACC Championship and 11-win season. Coming off of they kind of year they had, returning the kind of talent and production they did, the Panthers had every reason to believe that this could be the second year of a great run as opposed to 2021 being just a flash in the pan.

But as this season wears on, 2021 is beginning to look more like lightning in a bottle than positive momentum for this program. The tight loss to Tennessee appears to be little more than an aberration and these recent defeats to Georgia Tech and Louisville are more a reflection of what this team is.

For a year and an offseason, Pitt believed they were in position to climb up into the ranks of college football's upper crust. Instead, they've been handed a painful reminder of how far they are from being elite and how easily momentum can die.

Whole Offense is to Blame

Kedon Slovis will, understandably, take much of the heat for this loss and he should. He did not play well outside of a handful of plays and it was reflected on the scoreboard but 10 total points, even against a good defense like the one Louisville has, is always a team effort.

Different units took turns sinking the Panthers at key moments. Pass-catchers dropped passes, the offensive line struggled to block anyone in the second half, penalties plagued everyone all night long.

Bad losses are rarely the fault of one player and while Slovis' two interceptions at the opponent's goal line loom large in a 14-point loss, there were plenty of chances to avenues to win this game that the Panthers did not use.

Restart the Quarterback Controversy

At this point, it is plainly irresponsible not to give Nick Patti or Nate Yarnell a chance to outplay Slovis with the first team. Slovis is not getting it done right now, even with an outstanding running game to lean on.

Pat Narduzzi stuck by his quarterback tonight despite the poor performance and loyalty is admirable but at this point that seems more like a damning indictment of who is behind Slovis than anything else.

What Slovis can give you is clear - erratic passing, questionable decision making and below-average athleticism. Patti is certainly more athletic and Yarnell has been smarter with the ball in limited action. None of these guys can sling it like Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers but Narduzzi and the staff owe it to this team to experiment and see what changes because the current results are not good enough.

SirVocea Dennis Playing Himself into NFL

If you're looking for anything positive to draw from this miserable performance, look no further than the play of the defense, which was stout for three quarters despite being worn down by the latter stages of the game.

The play of their captain and play-caller, Dennis, who made his return from injury this week, was particularly outstanding. He has always been a smart player with good tackling skills, but he has turned it up to another level in what is likely to see his final season as a Panther.

Improved skills in coverage has been coupled with greater responsibility to communicate with the rest of the unit and it will reflect well on him when he seeks to break through at the next level. He wasn't on many draft boards after last season, but that should change soon.

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