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Louisville’s 3 keys to beat Pitt’s Defense

By Caleb Hall

Louisville’s Malik Cunningham runs a first down against Pitt’s Brandon Hill.Oct. 22, 2022Louisvillepitt 15
Louisville’s Malik Cunningham runs a first down against Pitt’s Brandon Hill.Oct. 22, 2022Louisvillepitt 15 /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 07: Jawhar Jordan #25 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball during the 33-20 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at L&N Stadium on October 07, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 07: Jawhar Jordan #25 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball during the 33-20 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at L&N Stadium on October 07, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Establish the run game early

The Louisville offense has been one of the most explosive in college football, and if they want the most success against Pitt the need the run game to get going early.

Louisville was able to run all over Notre Dame last week as Louisville had another 150+ rushing total for the game. Pitt’s rushing defense ranks as the 53rd in FBS and 7th in the ACC, if the Cardinals can get the rushing game going early against this Pitt front then the Cardinals will be in good shape.

Pitt’s passing defense is what Louisville should be worried about. They rank 15th in passing yards allowed in the FBS and rank 3rd in the ACC. Louisville should not look to rely on Jack Plummer on the road this weekend. If the Cardinals can establish the run early and get up multiple scores then the need for a dynamic passing offense won’t be needed and the Cardinals won’t have to rely on Jack Plummer. Not to say Plummer has been bad this season, but he hasn’t shown he can totally switch up the game like Jawhar Jordan can.

Pitt has a decent rushing defense and a really good passing defense. If Louisville can run the ball effectively early on then the game should open up pretty quickly for them this saturday.

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