PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh wide receiver Aundre Wright ran 7 yards for his first college touchdown after having a long scoring run called back by a holding penalty and the No. 25 Panthers turned four turnovers into scores while routing Louisville 41-7 today.

The Panthers (7-2, 3-1 Big East) assured themselves of their first bowl bid and winning season in coach Dave Wannstedt's four seasons, using Louisville's numerous mistakes to overcome LeSean McCoy's career-low 39 yards rushing.

McCoy ran 11 yards for a touchdown on a direct snap in the fourth quarter to make it 27-7, but was held to 7 yards on eight carries in the first half after gaining at least 142 yards in each of his last five games. His previous career low was 55 yards against South Florida last season.

Pitt ended a seven-game losing streak to Louisville (5-4, 1-3) that dated to 1983 and included four losses in Pittsburgh.

Defensively, the Panthers didn't resemble the team that was beaten 54-34 by unranked Rutgers in its last home game and had allowed 86 points in its last two, scoring three times following Louisville fumbles while also intercepting two passes, one for a touchdown.

Bill Stull returned after sitting out the Panthers' 36-33, four-overtime victory at Notre Dame that was keyed by McCoy's 169 yards rushing to throw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Oderick Turner for a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter. Stull was 15-of-27 for 216 yards and no interceptions.

Louisville never got any offense going until Hunter Cantwell threw a 30-yard scoring pass to Troy Pascley with Pitt up 20-0. Cantwell was benched in the first half after going 3-of-10 for 35 yards with redshirt freshman Matt Simms replacing him, but coach Steve Kragthorpe went back to Cantwell in the second half.

Simms, a redshirt freshman and the son of former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, also was ineffective (4-of-10 for 39 yards and an interception). His father, in town to broadcast the Colts-Steelers game on Sunday, watched from a private box.

Two botched punt returns by Louisville led to 10 Pitt points in the first half, and the Panthers turned it into a rout in the fourth quarter as Ricky Gary scored on a 3-yard fumble recovery and Scott McKillop returned a Cantwell-thrown interception 18 yards to score.

Louisville's mistakes came early and often.

Bobby Buchanan muffed Dave Brytus' punt after Pitt's first possession, with Jovani Chappel recovering to set up Conor Lee's 30-yard field goal.

On Pitt's next possession, Wright — a freshman — took a reverse handoff and ran down Pitt's sideline for an apparent 76-yard touchdown run, but the score was nullified by a holding penalty on Cedric McGee — causing Wannstedt to run 10 yards onto the field to protest.

Stull came back on the next play to hit freshman Jonathan Baldwin on a 36-yard completion to the Cardinals' 30. Five plays later, Pitt went back to Wright again on another wide receiver run for the touchdown that made it 10-0.

Doug Beaumont's fumbled punt midway through the second quarter again gave Pitt excellent field position at its own 46, with Stull ending that drive with his TD pass to Turner.