No. 14 Louisville (6-0, 3-0 ACC)) at Pittsburgh (1-4, 0-2), Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET (The CW)
Line: Louisville by 7½, according to FanDuel.com Sportsbook.
Series: Pitt leads 10-9.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The Cardinals are in the midst of a quick turnaround under first-year coach Jeff Brohm. Louisville's resume already includes a tough road win at N.C. State and an impressive upset of Notre Dame last week that sent the Cardinals rocketing up the polls. Pitt is off to the worst start of coach Pat Narduzzi's nine-year tenure and needs to get it going soon or could miss a bowl game for the first time since 2017.
KEY MATCHUP
Pitt's offensive line against Louisville's defensive front. For all the focus on the quarterback position, the reality is the Panthers have had trouble protecting whoever is behind center. Injuries haven't helped. Pitt has started four different offensive line combinations in five games. A little bit of running could go a long way in taking some of the pressure off first-time starting QB Christian Veilleux.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Louisville: Junior RB Jordan Jawhar helped put the Irish away by piling up a season-high 143 yards and two touchdowns. Pitt's typically solid run defense has been a little off the season. The Panthers are seventh in the 14-team ACC against the run and have been susceptible to chunk plays.
Pitt: Sophomore QB Veilleux will get a chance to make his mark after senior transfer Phil Jurkovec was benched after five games in which he struggled with his accuracy and the offense sputtered. Veilleux, a transfer from Penn State, has completed 12 of 27 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in spot duty so far this year.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Pitt has won eight of the last 10 meetings between the schools, though Louisville shut the Panthers down in a 24-10 victory last season. ... The Cardinals have won seventh straight games dating back to 2022, tied for the 10th-longest streak in program history. ... Louisville is outscoring opponents 48-0 in the first quarter. ... The Cardinals have produced eight turnovers over the last two games. ... Louisville leads the ACC with eight interceptions. ... The Cardinals have lived by the long ball. QB Jack Plummer has three passes of at least 60 yards and three of at least 70 yards, tied for the most in the FBS. ... The Panthers have beaten one ranked opponent in each of the last seven seasons. ... Pitt is coming off a bye week and has a difficult stretch to end the season. Four of the Panthers' final seven opponents are ranked (Louisville, Notre Dame, Florida State and Duke). ... The Panthers need to go 5-2 to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 2017. ... Pitt's usually productive running game has stumbled due largely to teams loading up to stop it with no threat of the pass. ... The Panthers are averaging just 115.6 yards on the ground, down from 183 yards rushing per game last season.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
