Louisville overcame two double-digit deficits on the road and forced five Pitt turnovers to beat the Panthers 34-27 Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Miller Moss completed 33 of 51 passes for 339 yards. He overcame a costly pick-six with three touchdowns, including a 9-yard scoring pass to Nate Kurisky to give the Cardinals (4-0, 1-0 ACC) their first lead with 7:03 to go. Moss also ran for the Cardinals’ first score.
T.J. Quinn intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter, including one with four seconds left at the Pitt 27-yard line to secure the victory.
Louisville receiver Chris Bell caught 10 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Pitt receiver Cataurus Hicks, a former Cardinal, had four receptions for 113 yards and a score.
Neither team played well. The Panthers (2-2, 0-1) lost a second straight game after holding a double-digit lead. They were 1-for-10 on third downs and were held scoreless in the second half. Louisville also overcame committing nine penalties for 92 yards and allowing 10 tackles for loss.
Pitt led 17-0 in the first quarter, capped by Rasheen Biles’ 75-yard interception return for a touchdown. However, a pair of special teams’ miscues, a muffed punt return and a mishandled punt snap, allowed the Cardinals to get back in the contest in the second quarter.
After Cooper Ranvier’s 35-yard field goal cut the deficit to 17-10, Pitt punter Caleb Junko’s bobbled snap to give the Cardinals the ball back at the Panthers 25. On the next play, Moss found Bell for the tying touchdown with 3:42 left in the half.
However, the Panthers managed to score twice in the final 1:42. Quarterback Eli Holstein found Raphael Williams Jr. for a 38-yard score with 19 second left, to give Pitt a 27-17 halftime lead.
However, Holstein was pulled for transfer Cole Gonzales midway through the fourth quarter after a pair of interceptions. He finished 14-for-26 for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Pitt played without running back Desmond Reid, who was injured two weeks ago against West Virginia. Louisville’s top backs, Isaac Brown and Duke Watson played despite being limited by lower-leg injuries. Watson ran 14 times for 47 yards and Brown had 20 yards on 14 carries.
