Panthers look to end four-game skid

One month ago, Pitt was 6-1 and looking like a possible BCS bowl contender.

Five straight… One month ago, Pitt was 6-1 and looking like a possible BCS bowl contender.

Five straight losses later, however, the Panthers are simply attempting to stay in the bowl picture. And it won’t be easy.

Coming off a demoralizing 45-27 loss to rival West Virginia, Pitt will try to bounce back against a 9-1 Louisville squad who, with two more victories, would win the Big East title and earn an automatic BCS bowl bid.

To make things worse, the Panthers have lost their last five contests against Louisville, dating back to 1983.

Many experts considered the Cardinals’ BCS hopes obsolete when Heisman-hopeful running back Michael Bush was lost for the season after breaking his right leg in the season opener. However, the running game hasn’t skipped a beat with a three-back rotation replacing Bush.

Senior Kolby Smith leads the Louisville ground attack with 685 yards on 5.5 yards per carry and six touchdowns. Following Smith’s lead, George Stripling has rushed for 354 yards and five touchdowns.

Freshman Anthony Allen, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound bruiser, leads the team with 10 touchdowns on only 333 yards on the ground.

Their passing game isn’t too bad, either.

Despite missing two games to injury, preseason Heisman candidate Brian Brohm has thrown for 2,060 yards and eight touchdowns on the season, with a stellar 257.5 yards per game average.

His favorite targets, Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia, have combined for more than 1,500 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.

Louisville also presents a well-balanced defense, with linebacker Malik Jackson, safety Brandon Sharp and cornerback William Gay all tied for the team lead in tackles with 45. Three other players have more than 40 total tackles.

Jackson also leads the team with seven sacks and two fumble recoveries. Gay, meanwhile, has four interceptions, good for second in the Big East.

Pitt will attack Louisville’s defense with a heavy dose of passing. Senior quarterback Tyler Palko, making the last home start of his college career, will surely be playing with a lot of emotion, which could translate into big numbers.

Palko still managed to throw for 341 yards and two touchdowns last weekend against the Mountaineers in a losing effort. For the season, Palko has now thrown for 2,564 yards with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

The Panthers will rely on their stellar special teams to consistently give them good field position to open drives.

Kick returner Lowell Robinson was recently named a semi-finalist for the inaugural Randy Moss Return Man Award. Robinson currently leads the Big East and ranks third nationally with a 30.6 yard-per-return average. Darrelle Revis has also been solid on punt returns, including a remarkable 73-yard touchdown return last weekend.

The Pitt defense will look to rebound after back-to-back games of allowing more than 40 points to the opposition.

H.B. Blades, who will also be making his final home start as a Panther, leads a core of talented linebackers. He and fellow linebacker Clint Session have combined for an astounding 228 tackles.

Behind Blades, junior cornerback Darrelle Revis is arguably one of the best at his position in the nation. With 37 tackles, two interceptions and four pass deflections, quarterbacks have consistently shied away from Revis’ side of the field.

In order to make it easier on the secondary and slow down the outstanding Cardinal offense, the Pitt defensive line must get pressure on the quarterback. The Panthers have had only one sack in their past two contests combined.

One thing about the game seems certain; the Panthers would love nothing more than to send their seniors out with a big win.

“It’s hard to get a team to work as one when things aren’t going well,” Palko commented. “It’s tough to compete, but when you execute and things work out in the end, then it makes it that much more meaningful.”

The game will be aired nationally on ESPN at 3:30 p.m.