Louisville Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Panthers Football Recap

Pittsburgh 21, Louisville 14

The Big East Conference is simply an enemy of logic. The results that should happen don't. The outcomes that make sense are outcomes that do not materialize. Linear progressions and patterns don't follow their natural course. Processes of evolution and devolution do not last very long. Just when you think you've figured out the league, it throws a big overhand curveball which causes the brain to buckle. Such is life in college sports' most chaotic conference, on and off the field.

With postseason dreams seemingly fading week by week, Pittsburgh, without its best offensive player, stymied the improving Louisville offense en route to a much needed seven-point win. While the offense still isn’t delivering the “high octane” performance that head coach Todd Graham advertised coming into the season, it was confusing enough to the Louisville defense to keep it off balance the entire game. Using a withering mix of misdirection runs and short, controlled passes, the Panthers ran for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Filling in for the injured Ray Graham, Pitt running backs Zach Brown and true freshman Isaac Bennett combined for 155 yards on 28 carries. The 225 rushing yards allowed was a season high for a Louisville defense that has quietly been one of the best in the country. Quarterback Tino Sunseri had his most efficient game of the season for Pitt, completing 16 of 22 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. While the numbers weren’t overwhelming, Sunseri's passing kept the offense on the field, a reality reflected in the fact that Pitt converted 50 percent of its third down attempts. In classic Chinese water torture fashion, Pittsburgh slowly and continually frustrated the Cards. Moreover, the fact that Pitt held the ball for so long prevented Louisville's offense from re-establishing the rhythm and continuity it had developed in previous weeks.

The loss is another frustrating home loss for a Louisville team that can’t seem to handle success. After an emotional win at Kentucky in September, the Cardinals returned home to lose to Marshall. This time they won at West Virginia for the first time in two decades, only to come home and lose to a reeling Pittsburgh team. The Cardinals will once again have to examine an offense that gained just 281 yards of total offense and could not sustain key drives late in the game. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater showed every sign of coming into his own as an every-Saturday signal caller, but now his progress has been thrown into question. Pittsburgh, sans Ray Graham, figured to be dead in the water in this contest, but instead it was Bridgewater who failed to deliver the goods in a low-output performance for a losing Louisville offense. The Big East's trend - in which trends simply don't sustain themselves - continued for yet another Saturday.

Both teams can become bowl eiligible with wins next week, but don't count on anything in the Big East Conference. The way this season is going, Louisville and Pittsburgh could both finish 5-7 before they're through.

Then again, they could also finish 7-5 and look like world-beaters in the process.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer