The Louisville Cardinals could not have had a worse first quarter. Louisville football went down 17-0, and in the ugliest way possible. A former Cardinal scored on a 39-yard touchdown, Miller Moss threw a pick-six, and the Cardinals fans thought it might get ugly.
The Cardinals generated 68 total yards, compared to Pitt's 135, and the fans were clamoring for some adjustments. Well, Moss and this Cardinals offense lucked out by a Pitt muff punt, which put them inside the five-yard line and led to Louisville's rushing touchdown to go down 17-7.
After the Cardinals got on the board, they settled down and then rattled off 17 straight points in the second quarter, putting them right back in the game, but then gave up 10 straight themselves and now trail 27-17 after the first half. However, with Louisville fans hoping for a better second half and their first ACC win of the 2025 season, one glaring stat was shared that revealed all the odds are stacked against them.
Odds are stacked high against Louisville's comeback chances
Louisville has been down 17 points or more just 22 times in program history, and unfortunately, the team is 1-21 in those instances. The Cardinals were only able to come back from a deficit of this margin on November 29, 2007, against Rutgers. Who was the quarterback? Brian Brohm.
Louisville is 1-21 when trailing by 17 or more points at the end of the first quarter, beating Rutgers 41-38 on Nov. 29, 2007, after trailing 21-3. Jeff Brohm was Louisville's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator that season.
— Kelly Dickey (@RealCardGame) September 27, 2025
Brohm's Cardinals, back in 2007, trailed 21-3 against Rutgers but ended up coming back to win the game 41-38. It was his last collegiate start, and he certainly went out with a bang, throwing for 237 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for another. Louisville won by a field goal in the final 20 seconds, and the Cardinals fans are hoping a miracle like that could happen again this afternoon.
So, maybe Brohm has that magic juice in him one more time, and he can guide the Cardinals to overcome a 17-0 deficit. Louisville got some luck with two special teams miscues from the Panthers, but that's part of the game. The Cardinals did their job, capitalizing on the Panthers' two turnovers and putting 14 points on the board.
Louisville's offense can hopefully carry this momentum into the second half and secure a win for the Cardinals. It wouldn't be the prettiest win this season, but at this point in the game, Louisville fans want to be 4-0 heading into next week.
FanDuel gives Pitt the edge after the Panthers' 10 straight points, as they now have -340 odds to win the game, as of halftime. Louisville fans are eager for the second half and hope to improve this crushing record to 2-21, but it is clear that the odds are stacked high, and it will be an absolute battle.
Related: 5 reasons why the Louisville Cardinals will dominate the Pitt Panthers this weekend
The Cardinals and Panthers are live on ESPN 2.