Football: Pitt looks to keep bowl hopes alive

A loss to Louisville on Saturday could cost the Pitt football team a bowl game.

If Pitt (4-5,… A loss to Louisville on Saturday could cost the Pitt football team a bowl game.

If Pitt (4-5, 2-2 Big East) wants to guarantee itself a trip to the postseason, the Panthers need to win their final three games, starting with their game against the Cardinals (5-4, 3-1 Big East) in Louisville.

The Panthers are two wins from reaching bowl eligibility, but 6-6 teams can only be chosen for bowl games after every team with a winning record has already been selected.

“These guys want to win, and I want them to have an opportunity to go to a bowl game,” Pitt head coach Todd Graham said. “Who knows what is going to happen? Our single focus is to beat Louisville and then go on to the next one.”

The Panthers fell to Cincinnati 26-23 last Saturday after allowing the Bearcats to come back from a 10-point deficit. Pitt has struggled to hold on to leads all season and has had difficulty finding consistency. While the Panthers looked solid defeating South Florida and Connecticut 44-17 and 35-20, respectively, they suffered losses in the games following both contests.

Currently, the Panthers are 2-2 in conference play. Cincinnati leads the conference with a 3-0 Big East record, and Louisville sits in second place at 3-1. Rutgers, West Virginia, Connecticut and Pitt each have two Big East losses.

The Cardinals are just a week removed from upsetting then-No. 24 West Virginia in Morgantown. Led by star freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville has hit its stride in Big East play.

Bridgewater threw for 246 yards and a touchdown against the Mountaineers and completed 21-27 passes. He also possesses the speed and strength to extend plays, much like Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros.

Pitt redshirt junior defensive back Jarred Holley described Bridgewater as “poised.”

“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” Holley said. “He makes great reads back there, and he has a good arm. That’s one guy we’re really going to be focused on.”

At Louisville, Pitt will face the conference’s top defense. The Cardinals hold opponents to 18.3 points and 322 yards per game on average.

“Coach [Charlie] Strong does a tremendous job,” Graham said. “Our guys understand we have a lot to play for, and you never know what is going to happen in this league.”

To achieve their first road victory, the Panthers need to limit turnovers and play disciplined football. They were hurt by turnovers and penalties in the loss to Cincinnati.

“We talk about how we play as Pitt men — we have to be relentless as far as toughness, and disciplined in the effort we give,” Graham said. “We have pressures, but as long as you keep the ball and don’t give it to the other team, then that’s a good play. We need to eliminate those mistakes.”

Saturday will be the last home game for Louisville’s seniors, and senior defensive tackle Greg Scruggs said he doesn’t want to be embarrassed in this last game.

“We have been through a lot, but we just want to ride this wave until the wheels fall off,” Scruggs said in a press conference. “We just want to go out and win this game, but we know the challenge we face this week against Pittsburgh. We remember what they did to us last year, so we know we have to be ready to play.”

The Panthers’ seniors will also be playing with a lot on the line — tough losses have all but eliminated the goal of a Big East Championship. But redshirt junior wide receiver Mike Shanahan said that the team wants to make a bowl game, especially for the seniors.

“We realize we have to win out to make a bowl game,” he said. “We want to do that for our seniors. They deserve that with all the hard work that they put into it.”

The Panthers are taking the rest of the season one game at a time, redshirt senior defensive tackle Myles Caragein said.

While Caragein said a bowl game would be nice, he added that there is no consolation prize to winning a conference.

“To me, I wanted the Big East title this year, and I’m really upset that our chances are really slim right now,” he said. “But that’s not a big concern to me right now. I’m just worried about going out and beating Louisville.”

Kickoff for the game is set for noon.