Football: Pitt leads Louisville at half

Pitt leads Louisville, 6-3, at halftime of a defensive struggle.

The Cardinals have 111 yards… Pitt took a 6-3 lead into halftime of a defensive battle at Heinz Field.

Offense was hard to come by as the Cardinals have 111 yards, while the Panthers have 155.

The game’s opening drive saw Louisville quarterback Adam Froman complete his first seven pass attempts—five of them to leading receiver Doug Beaumont—but the drive stalled and the Cardinals settled for a 35-yard field goal from Chris Philpott.

The Panthers drove right back to tie the game, 3-3, on a 26-yard chip shot from Dan Hutchins. Tino Sunseri completed just one pass for one yard on the drive, but Pitt’s running game came through. Dion Lewis had seven carries for 37 yards, and Sunseri scrambled for 13 more.

Pitt took the lead on another field goal from Hutchins, this time from a season-long 42 yards, with 9:34 left in the half.

The Panthers looked like they would break through late, but the drive stalled once more and Hutchins missed a 28-yard field goal attempt.

The matchup of Big East-leading rusher Bilal Powell against the Panthers run defense has been a non-factor so far. Powell has nine rushes for 51 yards.