Pitt has just two games left in the regular season, sitting at 7-3, but the Panthers have a long way to go still. There’s a lot of pride (and expectation still) to play for.
It all starts against Louisville.
Pitt has received another game on ESPN, drawing the second slot on ESPN2. Mike Couzens will handle play-by-play duties; former NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler will serve as his analyst and Stormy Buonantony will report from the sideline.
Bill Hillgrove — in his 51st season as the voice of the Pitt Panthers — will handle play-by-play duties on 93.7 the Fan and the Pitt Radio Network as usual, with Pat Bostick serving as his analyst and Larry Richert and Dorin Dickerson reporting from the field at Acrisure Stadium.
“Louisville, obviously Jeff Brohm, coming off a loss at Stanford,” Pat Narduzzi said Monday. “Great football coach. Known him a long time. He’s an offensive guru with his brother Brian as well. He’s the offensive coordinator, but obviously Jeff, he’s the OC and calling the plays. I think he does an outstanding job …
“They’ve got talent in the backfield, they’ve got talent all over the field. A lot of transfers on the football team.”
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, and for those not making the trip, ESPN2 is broadcasting the conference clash.
Pitt is sitting as a 7.5-point road underdog, according to DraftKings, with a bet to cover holding -112 odds. The total point spread sits at 57 points, holding -112 odds for the Panthers. And a Pitt moneyline bet has +225 odds.
Pitt is 11-9 all-time against Louisville, dating back to a 27-6 win in the first meeting in 1976. It’s been a series of runs all time. Pitt won the first four meetings; Louisville won the next seven meetings between 1990-2007 and Pitt has won seven of the last nine meetings.
Pitt won the second most recent matchup 23-20 in 2020, a performance in which Kenny Pickett threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense forced three Cunningham interceptions, Louisville won the last matchup in Louisville in 2022 off a poor performance from former quarterback Kedon Slovis and the Panthers upset then-No. 14 Louisville at Acrisure Stadium last season.
Louisville is 6-4 (4-3 ACC) is coming off a brutal loss to Stanford, 38-35, off a late game-winning field goal. The loss will very likely drop the Cardinals from the College Football Playoff Poll.
Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough is still in the midst of a strong final season, after transferring in from Texas Tech, and running back Isaac Brown is one of the most versatile players in college football as a true freshman.
Pitt is coming off its third straight loss of the season, falling to No. 20 Clemson at Acrisure Stadium. It was a frustrating, mistake-filled afternoon in which the Panthers had a victory within reach and let it slip away.
Pat Narduzzi, as he’s done all season, said the Panthers will bounce back with two games remaining on the schedule.
“Yeah, they’re not going to lose confidence after what they did out there today,” Narduzzi said Saturday. “We’ve got a good football team in there and we played a good football team. They aren’t crappy. We’ve got a darned good football team, and we just keep our heads up. We’ve got two more guaranteed games and then we’ll move on from there.
“We’ve got a really good Louisville team on the road, and then we’ve got to pick up the pieces, and our guys will do that. They were great in the locker room afterwards. It’s the game of football. It’s what we do.”
Television — ESPN2
Mike Couzens (play-by-play)
Brock Osweiler (analyst)
Stormy Buonantony (reporter)
Radio — 93.7 The Fan, Pitt Panthers Radio Network
Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play)
Pat Bostick (analyst)
Larry Richert and Dorin Dickerson (reporters)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Channels 382 or on the SiriusXM app
WPTS Radio (Pitt Student Station) — 92.1 FM
