PITTSBURGH _ It wasn't quite as dramatic as Pitt and Cincinnati's 89-point, Big East title shootout in 2009. But the first game between two ranked teams at Heinz Field in 11 years provided its own helter-skelter moments.
A 75-yard touchdown run. A strip-sack that had everyone at Heinz Field guessing. A 40-yard score after the ball-carrier was tackled. And that was just in the first half.
Saturday's contest between Pitt and Louisville got a little weird _ and issues that Pat Narduzzi and the Panthers harped on all week persisted. But the No. 21 Panthers, eyeing an early-season win to prove its legitimacy as an ACC contender, got what they came for against No. 24 Louisville.
Pitt won, 23-20, opening its season 3-0 for the first time in the Narduzzi era. The Panthers, who face lower-rung ACC opponents N.C. State and Boston College the next two weeks, now have a realistic chance to kick off a campaign 5-0 for the first time since 1991 ahead of their Oct. 17 trip to Miami.
But before Pitt turned its attention to October and what lies ahead, it had an explosive Louisville offense to contain. And Randy Bates' defense, the rock of Narduzzi's team, did its job (seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 223 yards allowed), as Pitt's offense largely lacked conviction.
Bates' unit buckled a bit early. After Pitt went up 13-0 on a pair of Alex Kessman field goals and an 8-yard Jordan Addison touchdown grab, Pitt allowed a 75-yard score right up the gut. Louisville's Javian Hawkins, one of the ACC's most prolific and scintillating ball-carriers, sliced through the Panthers' front for an untouched touchdown late in the first quarter.
Then, Louisville cut Pitt's lead to 13-10 with a second-quarter field goal before Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett was stripped from his right side. The play was reviewed _ it looked like a possible incomplete pass with Pickett's hand coming forward _ but the ruling on the field stood as called. The Cardinals took advantage two plays later, as preseason first-team All-ACC receiver Tutu Atwell was left unmarked on a 21-yard touchdown.
Pitt answered, though, as the first half waned. With a few minutes on the clock, Panthers wideout Taysir Mack recorded a 40-yard touchdown catch, tackle and run (his knee never hit) to give Pitt a 20-17 lead going into halftime.
It was a score indicative of a tight first half, and it was tough to separate the two sides in the second half, too. Only the second half was less weird and more mistake-oriented.
Three of Louisville's drives ended with interceptions, thanks to Pitt defensive backs Marquis Williams, Damar Hamlin and Jason Pinnock. Pickett (23 of 38 for 220 yards and two TDs) threw an interception, as well, as a red-zone pass went through Addison's hands. The Panthers, who had six penalties in the game, logged a few more drops, including a fourth-down error by Maryland transfer DJ Turner.
But the offense, which accumulated only 376 yards on 78 plays, was let off the hook.
Louisville had its chance. Down 23-20 with 2:27 to go in regulation, the Cardinals were backed up to their own 17-yard line. Scott Satterfield's squad progressed the ball to its own 34 before facing a game-deciding fourth-and-4 situation.
Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham, harassed and pressured all day, was flushed from the pocket. The gutty quarterback, who kept Pitt on its toes all afternoon, threw a desperate pass and was ripped down to the turf by redshirt freshman defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.
The pass was picked off by Pinnock, who dunked the ball in Pitt's "turnover hoop" on the Panthers' sideline. The celebration was muted moments later, as Cunningham needed to be helped onto a medical cart following Kancey's hit.
But scary scene aside, Pitt had its game-clinching play _ and a Week 3 win the Panthers' defense earned.
