3 players to watch for Louisville football & Pittsburgh this weekend

Louisville football – Monty Montgomery

I’ve gone back and forth numerous times thinking about who will be the most important for Louisville on defense, and I’ve settled upon Monty Montgomery.

Sure, Montgomery may not be the starter at inside linebacker or even an every down player. But when he takes the field, he’s a guy the defenses have to account for and more often than not, don’t.

Montgomery will be one of the fastest players on the field for Louisville, and that speed combined with his versatility will make him a constant threat to the Pittsburgh offense.

Whether it be running the football or throwing, I expect Montgomery to be used as a blitzer, help in run support, as well as a guy capable of spying and pursuing Pickett should he decide to run.

We saw Montgomery make several huge plays against WKU  in week one, including two sacks on Tyrrone Pigrome and three total tackles for loss, and that’s the type of performance Louisville will need again against a much more talented Pitt team.

Pittsburgh – Kenny Pickett

If there’s anyone for Pittsburgh licking their lips right now in anticipation of what they’ll face this weekend, it’s Kenny Pickett.

Following Louisville giving up 350-plus passing yards and multiple big touchdowns against Miami, Pickett will be coming into the matchup with all  the confidence in the world and belief he can match or surpass D’Eriq King’s performance.

Behind a strong running game that centers on the RPO ability of Pickett, the Panthers are going to have the playmakers and ability to do some of the same things Miami  did last week. As Keith Wynne pointed out in his preview yesterday for Card Chronicle, I expect Pittsburgh to try and run a lot of unbalanced, confusing plays, despite that not being their expertise, in attempt to get the defense out of place again.

Pickett is a solid passer who has the ability to not only hurt defenses with his arm but also his legs. Pittsburgh will look to get the run going early out of those formations to open things up and allow for Pickett to have room to throw.

He’s been an accurate passer this season, completing 69.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 4932 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception. He’s got solid weapons in D.J Turner and Jordan Addison, as well as a stable of backs, led by Vincent Davis.

I expect offensive coordinator Mark Whipple to do everything he can to get Pickett going. Chandler Jones and Kei’Trel Clark will be crucial in stopping the pass, while Russ Yeast and the combination  of Isaiah Hayes, Jack Fagot, and Lovie Jenkins have to take their level of play up a notch.