Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview

When Bobby Petrino was coaching the lads from Louisville, the Cardinals towered over the Pittsburgh Panthers and every other Big East team not named West Virginia. As this decade ends, however, the roles have been reversed in this Kentucky-Pennsylvania staredown.

When Dave Wannstedt brings Pitt into Papa John's Stadium for a Friday night fight, the visitors will have the heavy ammunition. Long-gone are the days when Louisville could slash and lash an opponent to pieces with a ruthless and balanced offense. Cardinal quarterback Justin Burke has actually competed with guts and gusto in 2009, but the players who receive his throws and hand-offs just can't compare with the likes of Michael Bush, Harry Douglas, and the other prime-time performers who were pushed and polished by Petrino in the earlier parts of this decade. Current UL running back Victor Anderson is a fine player who doesn't mail in any possession, but he's not quite the dynamo the Cards need to deck the rest of the Big East.

At this point in the evolution of the two programs, Pitt has shown comparatively more resilience; not necessarily the greater body of accomplishment over an extended period of time, but a steadier (if more small-fry) kind of consistency without the huge drop-offs Louisville has suffered in the ill-fated Steve Kragthorpe era. It's Pittsburgh that has been able to replace graduated linebacker Scott McKillop with Adam Gunn and now Dan Mason. It's Pittsburgh that's been able to lose LeSean McCoy at running back and witness Dion Lewis take his place with distinction. It's Pittsburgh who enters Big East play with a fighting chance at the league title (with Cincinnati the clear leader of the pack). Louisville is merely fighting to retain any shred of respect and dignity, as Kragthorpe's career in the Commonwealth of Kentucky careens to a conclusion that's likely to come sooner rather than later.

In last year's game, Louisville's total yardage nearly matched Pittsburgh's (296 for UL, 320 for Pitt), but five turnovers undid Kragthorpe's kids in the Steel City. How imbalanced is this year's matchup? Pittsburgh could commit five turnovers, but if those five turnovers aren't pick-sixes or direct scoop-and-scores on fumble returns, the Panthers would still be in the conversation heading into the final minutes. Louisville must create opportunities, and then maximize them. Anything less, and it's likely that Pitt will post another win in a meeting of programs headed in decidedly different directions.

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On the other side of the ball, the matchup doesn't get any easier for Pittsburgh. Curiously enough, this might be the Panthers' more difficult matchup. Navy's defense, led by linebacker Russ Pospisil, is the backbone of this year's Midshipmen. Navy won't light up the scoreboard the way it has in the past, but coordinator Buddy Green has a defense that swarms to the ball with fury and forcefulness. After giving up a first-drive touchdown in last week's game against Louisiana Tech, Navy's defense blanked the Bulldogs the rest of the way. This is a unit that knows how to clamp down, so Pitt quarterback Bill Stull--coming off a picture-perfect performance versus Buffalo on Sept. 12--will need to maintain the instincts and ball-security that were very much in evidence in upstate New York.

Navy is not some easily-beatable upstart. The Midshipmen can scare anyone, as Ohio State so fully learned in week one. If Pittsburgh displays anything less than full-out effort on Saturday, the Panthers are likely to pay the price. If Wannstedt's whiz kids win this contest, they know, to a man, that they will have accomplished something significant.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer