Louisville spotted Pitt 17 points in its Week 5 ACC opener, before storming back for a 34-27 win. Miller Moss’s sloppy start and pick-six helped the Panthers build the early advantage, and multiple Pitt turnovers jump-started the comeback, but Brohm shouldered the blame for the ugly first quarter. He might deserve the credit for the comeback, too.
In his postgame press conference, Brohm told reporters that, “they came in with a plan that was a little bit different and we had to make some adjustments.”
Adjust he did, as Moss rebounded to complete 33 of his 51 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns with another on the ground. The Louisville offense struggled to run the ball for much of the day, with Isaac Brown limited by an injury and Duke Watson playing injured in the second half after an ankle injury temporarily removed him from the game in the first half.
Louisville managed just 1.6 yards per carry on the ground, with Watson leading the way with 47 yards on 14 carries, while Brown’s 14 attempts turned into just 20 yards. Pitt loaded up with its stout linebacker group to stop the run and take away the middle of the field from Moss, who thrives with the quick passing game between the numbers.
In response, Brohm dialed up more long-developing play action, with Moss under center, and more throws outside the numbers. Chris Bell had a fantastic day, catching 10 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, while Caullin Lacy added eight catches for 95 yards.
Brohm made the adjustments that were needed to fix things offensively, but his players responded with the effort that was required to escape Pittsburgh with a gutty victory. “It took every last play we could get,” Brohm told reporters. “We played to the end. Adding, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a team than this.”
Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh has been a house of horrors for Brohm’s Cardinals before. In 2023, 6-0 No. 14 Louisville marched into a rainy and cold environment and left with a 38-21 defeat. The loss didn’t ultimately keep the Cardinals out of the ACC Championship Game, but it did knock them from the College Football Playoff discussion, back in the final season of the four-team model.
The ACC is wide open once again, so an upset loss to Pitt would have been even more frustrating two years later. With Clemson at 1-3, SMU 2-2, and Florida State falling to Virginia on Friday night, Miami is the favorite to win the league, but that’s far from a guarantee. Louisville kept its chances alive on Saturday, but will need to play much better going forward to have a shot at the expanded 12-team CFP.