Football: Defense, Sheard step up in win

The Panthers’ 20-3 win over Louisville Saturday was possible not only because Pitt played… The Panthers’ 20-3 win over Louisville Saturday was possible not only because Pitt played well, but also because the Cardinals made plenty of mistakes.

Quarterback Adam Froman of Louisville (4-4, 1-2 Big East) received praise from both Louisville head coach Charlie Strong and Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt leading up to the game, but Froman struggled to find a rhythm during the contest. He made a number of inaccurate throws in key situations and finished 13-22 with just 82 passing yards.

Big East leading rusher Bilal Powell tallied 64 rushing yards on 11 carries but had to leave the game in the third quarter due to a knee injury. Louisville’s other backs averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in the game.

Strong couldn’t figure out what caused Louisville’s offensive struggles.

“We just didn’t come out today,” Strong said. “We came out with the energy, but we just didn’t show it.”

Louisville is known for badgering opposing defenses. Exactly 115 of the 210 points they had scored prior to Saturday’s match-up came during the second quarter of games. Against Pitt, however, the Cardinals failed to put up a single point in the second quarter for the first time this season.

Louisville’s meager 185 yards on offense were primarily a product of Adam Froman’s inability to throw the ball and Powell’s injury, but Pitt’s defense still deserves plenty of credit for the statistics.

Pitt defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard was a nightmare for Froman, forcing the quarterback to fumble twice.

The second time, Myles Caragein recovered the ball for Pitt and ran it 56 yards to the Louisville 5-yard line, setting up a Dion Lewis touchdown that put the Panthers up 20-3 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Asked in a post-game press conference about how Sheard has responded to the off-the-field problems he experienced prior to the season, Wannstedt declined to comment, asserting that Sheard’s success this season speaks for itself.

“Sheard is having a phenomenal year,” Wannstedt said. “You have to really appreciate what he is going through to get to the passer. He just keeps coming and coming. He’s rushing the passer as good as any defensive end in the country. He is focused every week and working extremely hard.”

Pitt wasn’t as overpowering offensively as they were against Rutgers, as the Panthers put up 255 total offensive yards on Saturday after posting 513 against the Scarlet Knights.

Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri racked up just 123 yards on 13-24 passing, a steep decline from the 287 yards he had averaged in Pitt’s previous three contests.

Louisville’s pass coverage was generally tighter than that of Pitt’s previous three opponents. The Cardinals broke up six of Sunseri’s passes, whereas Notre Dame, Syracuse and Rutgers combined to break up only five.

Sunseri thinks Pitt’s passing attack is evolving to face new challenges.

“What we’ve been doing over the past few games is taking what the defense is giving us,” Sunseri said. “A lot of teams are protecting deep against the long ball to [Jonathan Baldwin] or Mike Shanahan and, as a result, that’s leaving our tight ends and our short pass game options open. Guys like Henry [Hynoski] and Mike Cruz are getting open underneath and we’ll take those completionsbecause we’re moving the ball and the chains.”

Cruz has pulled in just two receptions over the previous two weeks, but notched 28 receiving yards against Louisville — double what he recorded in an effort against Rutgers that earned him the John Mackey Tight End of the Week award.

Hynoski left the Louisville game with a concussion, and was replaced by Chris Mike. The two ended up combining for three receptions, equal to the numbers earned by Pitt’s top receivers Baldwin and Shanahan. Both were heavily covered, and four of the passes that Louisville broke up were intended for the fullbacks.

Pitt’s rushing game put up fewer yards than last week too, although the drop was only from 206 yards to 151 yards.

With the win, Pitt remains the only undefeated team in the topsy-turvy Big East Conference. The Panthers are off next week before traveling to face Connecticut (4-4, 1-2) in a primetime matchup on ESPN Thursday, Nov. 11.