Pitt beats Duke to move to 5-1 in the ACC, hear from Pat Naruduzzi and the players after the game on the win.
From Pitt PR- PITT (7-3, 5-1 ACC) vs. LOUISVILLE (6-4, 5-2)
November 21, 2015 • 3:45 p.m., ET
Heinz Field (68,400/Natural Grass) • Pittsburgh, Pa.
ESPNews • Pitt IMG Sports Radio Network
PittsburghPanthers.com • @GoPittFootball • #LOUvsPITT
GAME STORYLINES
• Pitt looks to bolster its bowl resume and stay in contention for the ACC Coastal Division title when red-hot Louisville visits Heinz Field.
• The Panthers are 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the ACC following last week’s 31-13 victory at Duke. Pitt trails only North Carolina (6-0) in the Coastal standings with two regular-season games to go.
• Louisville is one of the ACC’s hottest teams, winning six of its past seven games. The Cardinals visit Pittsburgh following a 38-31 win over Virginia.
• Pitt and Louisville were once annual foes from 2005-12 as members of the Big East. In eight league meetings, each team won four times.
• The Panthers’ three losses this season are to a trio of nationally ranked teams with a combined 28-2 record: No. 5 Notre Dame (9-1), No. 6 Iowa (10-0) and No. 12 North Carolina (9-1).
• A victory over Louisville would give Pitt its eighth win, something it has not achieved in the regular season since 2009. Pitt has already assured itself of a winning regular season for the first time since 2010.
• Freshman safety Jordan Whitehead is a strong ACC Rookie of the Year candidate. In addition to leading Pitt in tackles (82), Whitehead has been an offensive playmaker the past two weeks, averaging 8.1 yards per rush with two touchdowns.
• Only a junior, Tyler Boyd has already established himself as the Panthers’ most prolific receiver ever. Boyd is Pitt’s all-time leader in both career receptions (232) and yards (3,135), surpassing such greats as Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Bryant and Devin Street.
• Tyler Boyd is the ACC’s most productive pass catcher this season, leading the conference in receptions per game (7.7) and receiving yards per game (77.8).
SERIES NOTES
This is the 17th meeting between Pitt and Louisville in a series that dates back to 1976…the series is tied, 8-8…Pitt is 5-5 against Louisville in games played in Pittsburgh and 3-3 on the road…this is the first Atlantic Coast Conference game between the two schools…Pitt began ACC play in 2013, while Louisville joined the league for the 2014 season…the Panthers and Cardinals previously met annually as Big East members from 2005-12, splitting the eight conference contests at four wins apiece…in the last meeting, Louisville used 24 unanswered points to claim a 45-35 victory in 2012 at Heinz Field…that loss halted Pitt’s four-game winning streak against the Cardinals…the Panthers had beaten Louisville in four consecutive seasons from 2008-11, matching their longest winning streak in the series…the inaugural game of the series was played in 1976, Pitt’s undefeated national championship season…the Panthers beat Louisville, 27-6, in Pitt Stadium en route to a 12-0 record…Pitt won the first four games of the series (1976, 1980-83)…that streak was snapped in 1990 when Howard Schnellenberger’s Cardinals claimed a 27-20 victory at Pitt Stadium…the 1990 game began a run of seven consecutive wins for Louisville against Pitt.
SERIES IN BRIEF
Series Began: 1976
Series Overall: Series tied 8-8
At Pittsburgh: Series tied 5-5
At Louisville: Series tied 3-3
At Neutral Sites: DNA
ACC Series: First meeting
Big East Series: Series tied 4-4
Current Streak: UL has won 1
Last Meeting at Pitt: Oct. 13, 2012 (UL 45, Pitt 35)
Last Meeting at Louisville: Nov. 12, 2011 (Pitt 21, UL 14)
Longest Pitt Series Win Streak: 4 games (twice: 1976-83; 2008-11)
Longest UL Series Win Streak: 7 games (1990-2007)
Largest Pitt Margin of Victory: 49 points (63-14, 1982)
Largest UL Margin of Victory: 24 points (48-24, 2006)