Louisville Rallies, Wins Defensive Slugfest Over Pitt

Riding a phenomenal effort by the defense, the Cardinals were able to rally late and topple the defending ACC champions.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Coming off of a much needed bye week to kick off a three-game home stand, the Louisville football program used a stout defensive performance to capture a 24-10 victory over Pitt Saturday at Cardinal Stadium, overcoming a slim fourth quarter deficit in the process.

A 37-yard field goal by Pitt, who are the reigning ACC Champions, late in the third quarter broke a tie to hand the Cardinals a 13-10 deficit heading into the fourth quarter. Entering this game, Louisville was 0-16 under head coach Scott Satterfield when trailing heading into the fourth.

Instead, an offense that had been stagnant all night was able to execute a go-ahead drive early in the quarter, set up by two critical plays. Quarterback Malik Cunningham caught a pass from wide receiver Braden Smith for a 33-yard pickup, then Cunningham found walk-on tight end Josh Lifson for a nine-yard receiving touchdown for the go-ahead score.

The Cardinals pushed their lead out to seven on their next drive out, thanks a long 48-yard field goal from James Turner. On the ensuing Pitt drive, linebacker Yasir Abdullah forced a fumble on Panthers quarterback Kedon Slovis with under four minutes to go, which was picked by cornerback Kei'Trel Clark for a 59-yard scoop and score to ice the game.

Not only did the win mark Satterfield's first come-from-behind fourth quarter win at Louisville, but it snapped Pitt's seven-game road winning streak, which had been second in the nation only to Georgia.

The Cardinals (4-3, 2-3 ACC) held the Panthers (4-3, 1-2 ACC) to just 326 yards on the night, their lowest mark on the year. They also forced four takeaways against Pitt: two recovered fumbles and two interceptions. Louisville harassed Slovis all night, logging a pair of sacks, six tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries. They also "held" running back Israel Abanikanda to 179 total yards of offense and a touchdown, who was fresh off of a 320-yard and six-touchdown effort against Virginia Tech.

Abdullah stuffed the stat sheet, posting seven tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, two pass breakups, three QBB hurries and a forced fumble. Linebacker MoMo Sanago had seven tackles, defensive end YaYa Diaby tallied 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack, and linebacker Ben Perry had six tackles and two QB hurries.

Offensively, Louisville struggled much of the night to move the ball. They came away with a season-low 312 yards, went 4-for-13 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down. Cunningham went 10-of-21 for 122 yards, two touchdowns and a pick; while also running for 46 yards.

Trevion Cooley, who got the start at running back with Tiyon Evans out with an injury, rushed for a team-high 75 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Hudson caught a game-high five receptions for 71 yards.

Louisville's defense wasted little time setting the tone against Pitt. While they did allow 217 yards in the first half, that also came with three forced turnovers. Abdullah and safety M.J. Griffin each snagged interceptions, while defensive end Mason Reiger forced a fumble. Even with the first half yardage the Panthers put up, the Cardinals only allowed a 12-yard rushing score by Abanikanda.

Conversely, their offense could not get much going at all in the first half. Cunningham found a wide open Marshon Ford on the first play of the second quarter for a 25-yard score, but that was their only drive in the opening half that ended in points. Louisville put up just 162 first half yards, punting it on four of their six drives before halftime, with a turnover on downs sprinkled in between.

The defensive slugfest carried into the third quarter, with the two teams combining for just 69 yards during the period. Louisville had even started backup quarterback Brock Domann to start the third, but later re-inserted Cunningham.

Next up, Louisville will continue their home stand against Wake Forest. Kickoff against the Demon Deacons is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Trevion Cooley: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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