Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi says 'wait and see' on subject of Eli Holstein's injury situation

When the subject of Eli Holstein’s health first was presented to Pat Narduzzi on Monday at his weekly news conference, it was half of a two-part question.

Guess which half Pitt’s coach conveniently ignored. Right. The one with Holstein’s name in it.

A few minutes later, he was reminded he didn’t answer both parts. Of course, it didn’t matter. The man does not talk much about injuries, especially when they involve his starting quarterback five days before a big game. No. 18 Pitt (7-0, 3-0) is scheduled to visit No. 20 SMU (7-1, 4-0) on Saturday in a game involving two of the four ACC teams that are undefeated in conference play.

Holstein appeared to be injured early in the fourth quarter of the 41-13 victory against Syracuse on Thursday after he gained 13 yards on a quarterback run. Pitt was ahead 38-6 at the time. Tackled at the Pitt bench, he got to his feet, left the game and was ushered into the medical tent.

After the game, Narduzzi downplayed the significance of the incident.

“Eli is going to be fine,” the coach said. “He’s in (the locker room) smiling, happy, jumping around. Just added precaution. At first we just thought he had dirt in his eye. It was a little bit more than dirt, but he’s fine and happy.”

To the Monday question of “How is Eli doing?” Narduzzi offered little insight.

“Hey, it’s a wait-and-see. We’ll see. You guys know I don’t talk about injuries. That’s every individual’s … that’s his deal.”

What he did say, however, might insert doubt into the heads of the Mustangs’ defensive coaches as they prepare for Pitt. Narduzzi said No. 1 backup Nate Yarnell will work with the first team in practice.

“He’ll get some reps with the first team, no question about it,” Narduzzi said. “We’ll wait and see.”

Yet Narduzzi didn’t quantify how many reps Yarnell will take or if it will be more or fewer than what he gets in any other week.

The other issue with Pitt’s offense is the regression Holstein and the offense have experienced in the past two games.

In the first five, Pitt’s starting quarterback completed 113 of 172 pass attempts (65.6%) for 1,567 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. In the past two — when the offense scored four touchdowns overall and managed a total of only 10 points after halftime — Holstein was 25 of 43 (58.1%) for 241 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

“I thought he did a good job. He protected the ball,” Narduzzi said, referencing the Syracuse game when Pitt had no turnovers. “He got it where he needed to get it.

“I don’t have any other evaluation for him. That would be a great question for coach (Kade) Bell. I’m sure you can pick and pick and pick. He managed the game, handed it off when he needed to, have to make some plays.

“The offense had only 46 snaps. They weren’t on the field very long. It would have been nice to give the offense more snaps.”

The need to score a lot of points was dramatically reduced in those two games because California and Syracuse scored a total of 28 while Pitt’s defense recorded 10 sacks and five interceptions.

The first seven games have been teamwork at its finest, with each side of the ball picking up the other, when necessary. The question that will linger this week, however, is this:

If he’s called upon, will Yarnell be able to help Pitt remain undefeated?

He started three games over the two previous seasons and was the presumed starter at the outset of training camp this year. So there’s a level of trust between Narduzzi and the redshirt junior quarterback, who’s been on campus since January 2021.

Asked about the progress Yarnell has made while he’s been a backup for more than two months, Narduzzi couldn’t give a definitive answer. Which makes sense because Yarnell has attempted only 26 passes in his four brief appearances this season, completing 17 for 171 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

“It’s hard to tell. The only way you find out is when you get in the game, right?” Narduzzi said. “We would have liked to have gotten him more (snaps). He’s locked in all the time. He was in the office early today, ready to roll.”

NOTE: Sophomore Rasheem Biles was named the ACC linebacker of the week after returning an interception for a touchdown and recording 12 tackles (including a 15-yard sack) and two quarterback hurries against Syracuse.