LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If you believe in the concept of Trap Games, you can make the case the game Louisville will play at Pittsburgh Saturday qualifies.
By beating Notre Dame last Saturday, Louisville glows with the recognition as the national team of the week by the Football Writers Association of America.
Carrying four straight losses and a change at quarterback, Pitt returns home with the smell of desperation.
The Panthers have defeated the Cards in four of the last five games the programs have played in Pittsburgh.
Even U of L coach Jeff Brohm admitted that at Purdue his teams lost the following week after the Boilermaker's three biggest victories.
Consider Saturday a measuring stick on how Brohm and his players deal with success.
The Time: Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Acrisure Stadium (68,400), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
How to Watch/Listen: TV — The CW, Channel 58 Tom Werme, play by play; James Bates, analyst; Treavor Scales, sidelines; Radio — Louisville Sports Network Paul Rogers, play by play; Craig Swabek, analyst; Jody Demling, sidelines.
The Line: Point spread — Louisville favored by 7.5 points; Over/under total points scored 45.
The Last Time: Louisville defeated Pitt, 24-10, last Oct. 22 at L&N Cardinal Stadium. The Cards rallied for the victory by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter.
The Series: Pitt leads 10-9 and the Panthers won the last meeting in Pittsburgh, 23-20, during the 2020 season.
The Records: The No. 14 Cards are 6-0 with victories over Georgia Tech, Murray State, Indiana, Boston College; North Carolina State and Notre Dame; Pitt is 1-4. The Panthers beat Wofford before losing the next four to Cincinnati, West Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Player to Watch Louisville: Quarterback Jack Plummer. Pittsburgh's defense has registered one interception in five games, the lowest total of any Atlantic Coast Conference team. Plummer has thrown six interceptions in six games, tied for the most of any ACC quarterback. A clean game by Plummer is a reasonable approach to eliminate chances of an upset.
Player to Watch Pittsburgh: Quarterback Christian Veilleux. The Panthers rank last in the ACC and 110th in the nation in passing offense at 192.6 yards per game. That is one reason coach Pat Narduzzi replaced Phil Jurkovec with Veilleux at quarterback. A redshirt sophomore who transferred from Penn State, Veilleux played in two of the Panther's five games. He completed 5 of 9 passes, including one for a touchdown against Wofford. Against North Carolina, he struggled, completing 7 of 18 with 2 interceptions.
Sideline Storylines:
- Pitt has defeated at least one Top 25-opponent for seven consecutive seasons.
- Pitt freshman Kenny Johnson ranks second in the ACC and third in the nation in average kickoff return yardage at 35.5.
- Narduzzi has suffered one losing record in eight seasons at Pitt.
- Jeff Brohm went 0-3 against Pitt as a Louisville player, losing to the Panthers in 1990, 1992 and 1993.
- The last time the Panthers beat a team ranked in the top 15 was Nov. 24, 2017, when they upset No. 2 Miami.
- Pitt's running game has been diminished by the loss of two starters to injuries on its offensive line, including Matt Goncalves, an all-ACC tackle.
- The Cards' defense has forced eight turnovers in the last two games —five interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
- Brock Travelstead is the first players in U of L history to kick four field goals in game twice in one season.
- The Cards are 6-0 for the first time since 2013. That team lost its seventh game to Blake Bortles and Central Florida. Charlie Strong's 2012 team won its first nine games before losing to Syracuse.
- Louisville halfback Jawhar Jordan joined NFL stars Ezekiel Elliott (Ohio State) and Leonard Fournette (LSU) as the only backs to run for more than 140 yards and two touchdowns against Notre Dame in the last 10 years.
- The Cards have outscored opponents 48-0 in the first quarter, even though Louisville has kicked off in five of six games. The overall streak of seven consecutive games without allowing a point in the first quarter is the longest in school history since 1973.
The Quote: Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, when asked how his team reacted when he announced Jurkovec would be replaced by Veilleux at quarterback for the UofL game:
"I didn't hear any reaction. We didn't make an announcement it was going to happen. There was no cheering. There was no disappointment. There was nothing.
"But that's what I expected of our football team. It's business. It can happen at any position in here, whether it's the D-line or receivers or O-line.
"There's been changes made, whether it's ones you want to make or not make. I saw no reaction at all."
The Pick: Louisville 23, Pittsburgh 17.
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