Well, it’s important to have vital background information. Now, while they are amateur works and a little dated here are the always important cheerleading and “Ladybirds” dance team sites for Louisville. I must concede some disappointment, I was led to believe Louisville was high ranking for its “spirit” squads. Definitely unimpressed.

Coach Wannstedt talked a bit about the upcoming game in his press conference.

On Louisville’s offense in comparison to Notre Dame’s:

It’s probably comparable. It’s different. Notre Dame’s offense is more vertical, down the field. Louisville is more of a ball control team, even though they score maybe more points and put up more yards. You don’t complete 70 percent of your passes like [Brian] Brohm is doing, their quarterback, without taking what the defense gives you. Both of them have outstanding running attacks. Both of them are balanced. There are some similar things about both offenses at the end of the day you could say that, but looking at it a little closer, they attack in different ways.

There’s no question that defensively we’ve kind of matured or evolved, progressed. I think we’ve gotten better. If you look at our defense in the last five or six weeks — and take out the blocked punt, or take out the fumble or an interception that’s run back — and really look how many times the team has taken the ball and moved it 70 or 80 yards on us. It hasn’t happened a whole lot. I think that’s why this week will be a challenge for us because these guys do [move the ball]. They explode. Sixty-four points per game at home, I think, is what they’re averaging. As I said yesterday, Matt Cavanaugh’s got his work cut out for him figuring out how to score 65.

I guess he wasn’t totally kidding about scoring points. How serious?

On the importance of Pitt’s running game:

We’re going to have to throw the ball to score points, but we’re going to have to run the ball to make some first downs this week and keep their offense off the field a little bit, and slow down the pass rush. All the reasons that people don’t think the running game is important, we just mentioned three critical reasons why in this ball game it is. We’ve got to find a way to block these guys and make some yards running the ball.

[Emphasis added.]

For the record, because Louisville scores so quickly, they are at the bottom of the BE in terms of time of possession. So keeping Louisville off the field sounds good, but is not enough. The coaches will have to score points, and really, really will have to use the passing game.

Now on defense, Pitt will be facing the dreaded spread offense. Something I believe many Pitt fans have been cursing for the last 4 years. It’s the one offense, that has become the bane of DC Paul Rhoads. So how does Coach Wannstedt approach it?

On handling a spread-out offense like Louisville’s:

We have to tackle good, and you’re always talking about not giving up the big play. And that’s what our guys have done the last two weeks on defense, and I think that’s why we’ve had some success.

Now to be fair, the defense tended not to give up the big play — at least not intentionally. It’s been the lack of the former where the problems and the big plays have been. Pitt will have to tackle. Not hit — and all eyes are on you, Tez Morris — tackle. The defense has to get both arms around them and drag them down. No arm tackling or diving at the guy with the ball. Fundamentals.

Now what is going on at Louisville? You can listen to the press conference with Louisville Coach Bobby Petrino (about 13 minutes), along with comments from Junior RB Kolby Smith — Bush’s back-up (3 minutes) and Senior WR Joshua Tinch — leads the team in receptions (4 1/2 minutes).

Bobby Petrino: He emphasized that the game is considered big to them because it is their chance to get back in the national spotlight and get higher in the polls. He had no explanation for the Louisville road/home split other than vague mentions of crowd noise and getting turnovers.

He sees Pitt as a better team than when they started. The team has improved in all facets in the last month.

Mentioned that he beat Palko’s father when they both QBs in college. He kept referring to LaRod Stephens-Howling as “the little guy,” in talking about the Pitt running backs.

Nothing too interesting beyond normal coachspeak for the most part.

Kolby Smith: Eager to get back out and help the team (he’s been out with an injury).

Joshua Tinch: Thursday night games are big games for Louisville. It is the game everyone is watching that night. All year, this game was circled, and even now it will make the difference for the teams this season.

And finally, the game notes from Louisville are available (PDF).