Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Pitt

Now, the rubber meets the road for the Louisville football program. For the first time this season, they'll have to play away from home and take on a power conference foe, traveling up to Pitt for their ACC opener.

Here are some of the more notable points of emphasis heading into Saturday's game:

Injury Update

The injury bug continues to come down hard on Louisville, but the Cardinals did at least get a dose of both good news and bad news.

The running back tandem of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson were both listed as "questionable" on the initial ACC injury report, although the expectation is that both will play. Linebacker Antonio Watts, plus defensive linemen Wesley Bailey and Rene Konga are both "questionable" as well.

That being said, they won't have the two backs behind them available, as both Keyjuan Brown and Jamarice Wilder were both ruled out for the matchup. Cornerback Rodney Johnson is out as well.

Pitt isn't nearly as banged up as Louisville, but there is one massive injury to note for the Panthers. Desmond Reid, arguably the best all-purpose back in the ACC, is officially questionable, per the initial report.

Pitt Players to Watch: RB Desmond Reid (Offense) and LB Rasheem Biles (Defense)

With the step up to facing a power conference foe, naturally, the talent level takes a steep tick upwards. While Pitt isn't the best team Louisville will face this year, they have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.

While QB Eli Holstein has had an efficient start, without question, the Panthers' top offensive weapon is Desmond Reid. He's arguably the second-best running back in the ACC, coming off of a season where he was deadly through the air and on the ground. Last year, he ran for 966 yards and five scores, while catching 52 passes for 579 yards and four TDs.

Reid hasn't been nearly as prolific (in part due to his first quarter injury at West Virginia), but he's still been a weapon. So far, he has 24 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown, plus six catches for 71 yards.

Over on defense, Pitt certainly has a plethora of defensive standouts. Kyle Louis is a First-Team All-ACC linebacker, while fellow linebacker Braylan Lovelace and defensive back Javon McIntyre are proven commodities as well.

That being said, linebacker Rasheem Biles is off to an incredibly hot start to the 2025 season. A Second-Team All-ACC pick from a year ago, he already is up to a team-best 30 tackles, as well as three for loss and two pass breakups. His 24 assisted tackles is the best in the ACC.

Matchup to Watch: Pitt WR Raphael Williams vs. UofL's Safeties

There's no doubt that Reid is Pitt's best player, and Louisville will have to do a great job in the front seven to limit his capabilities. But even with that in mind, what Raphael "Poppi" Williams is able to do in the big play department could be the key in this game.

The transfer receiver from San Diego State is off to an explosive start to the season, logging 245 yards and three scores on just 12 receptions. His 20.4 yards per reception ranks fifth in the ACC, and 24th in the FBS. He might not be the focal point of the offense, but with receptions of 40, 45, 48 and 67 yards on the season, he has serious big play potential.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, while they haven't faced a proper test so far this season, Louisville has done a fantastic job in coverage. Their 114.7 passing yards allowed per game not only leads the ACC, but is No. 4 in the nation, behind only Nebraska, James Madison and Alabama.

Not only that, but limiting the big play has been their speciality. Louisville's (11) behind only Ohio State (10) in opponent passing plays of 10 yards or more, and they are one of 13 power conference teams to not allow a pass play of 40 yards or more. Their safety rotation of JoJo Evans, D'Angelo Hutchinson and Corey Gordon Jr. have done a phenomenal job up to this point.

Louisville Trend to Monitor: Struggles on the Offensive Line

It's no secret that Louisville's efforts on the offensive side of the ball haven't exactly been super efficient for a bulk of the season up to this point. Part of that is becaise their offensive line has been significantly underperforming.

More often than not, QB Miller Moss hasn't has the proper time to be able to be operate the offense, and the rushing lanes haven't been nearly as wide and plentiful as they were last season. The stats bare this out, as their 5.00 tackles for loss allowed per game ranks 61st nationally, and their 2.00 sacks per game is 80th in the FBS.

The advanced stats don't paint a pretty picture, either. Louisville's 69.0 team pass blocking grade on Pro Football Focus is 60th in the FBS, while their 52.6 team run blocking grade is just 115th. The only offensive linemen with an offensive grade of 65.0 or better (60.0 - 69.9 is average) are Pete Nygra and Lance Robinson.

Pitt Trend to Monitor: An Extremely Aggressive Front Seven

In a vacuum, Louisville's performance on the offensive line so far this season is already bad enough. It doesn't help that, this weekend, they'll be facing a Pitt defensive front that is among one of the most physical and disruptive in the entire sport.

The Panthers have been fantastic at the line of scrimmage, with their 4.00 sacks per game tied with four other teams for the best mark in the FBS. Their 10.0 tackles for loss per game is second nationally only to Indiana by 0.8. Their 81.0 rushing yards allowed per game is 16th in the nation, while their defensive 3rd down conversion percentage of 26.5 is 21st.

What makes Pitt even more scary is that it's not just one player putting up absurd stats. Through their first three games, 19 Panthers have logged a tackle for loss, and five have at least three. Nine Pitt players have registered at least one sack, and no one has more than two. This is far from, a defense where you can scheme around one player and expect to shut down the whole operation.