Undefeated Louisville Cardinals Will Be Tested At Pittsburgh

Following an open week, the undefeated Louisville Cardinals are headed into a Big East Conference opener against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Louisville has been limited offensively in its last two games, both of which were played in heavy rain. To pull out a win on the road at Pitt, Louisville will have to get going offensively and produce throughout the conference matchup.

With sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater leading the way, Louisville is 5-0 overall. Pittsburgh is 2-3 overall and  0-2 in the Big East Conference. The Panthers have notched wins over the Virginia Tech Hokies and Gardner-Webb Bulldogs. The Youngstown State Penguins, Cincinnati Bearcats and Syracuse Orange. Louisville’s undefeated record consists of wins over the Kentucky Wildcats, Missouri State Bears, North Carolina Tar Heels, Florida International Golden Panthers and Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

It was wet in Miami when Louisville upended Florida International and even wetter in Hattiesburg when the Cardinals knocked off Southern Miss. Against Florida International, Bridgewater passed for 194 yards but threw two interceptions. With 2-3 inches of water on the field against Southern Miss, Bridgewater was held to 85 yards passing. A rushing attack, however, led Louisville to the win as Senorise Perry  rushed for his second 100-yard game. Perry rushed for a career-best 118 yards and two touchdowns against Southern Miss.

The Pittsburgh defense is ranked 22nd nationally. Pittsburgh’s defense is ranked 24th nationally in passing defense. The Panthers have also fared well against the run. The Pittsburgh rushing defense is ranked 49th nationally.

Louisville hasn’t won at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field since 2006. Kickoff for the Louisville-Pittsburgh game is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday morning at Heinz Field.