Pitt loses quarterback Eli Holstein to leg injury before losing game to Louisville

There aren’t many moments in a football game worse than losing your starting quarterback in the opening 10 minutes.

But after Eli Holstein left the field at L&N Stadium on a cart with a serious injury — his left leg in a boot, his day finished — Pitt found several ways to multiply its misery in a 37-9 loss to Louisville on Saturday. The result was the Panthers’ fourth consecutive loss as they dropped to 7-4 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. Louisville improved to 7-4, 5-3.

“It wasn’t our day today,” defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons said.

Here’s a sampling, just from the first half:

• Down only 3-0, Holstein had his leg caught underneath him while getting sacked. Only a few days earlier, Holstein had been cleared by Pitt doctors after suffering two head injuries. He returned to the field several minutes later on crutches.

“It’s a rough sport,” said backup quarterback Nate Yarnell, who replaced Holstein. “Things like that happen. It’s tough to see your teammates go off the field. It’s up to the next guy to step up.”

• Backups Derrick Davis, Zion Fowler-El and Juelz Goff dropped passes.

• Center Terrence Moore, who replaced injured starter Lyndon Cooper, was caught holding, wiping out a 28-yard run by Desmond Reid.

• Holstein and Yarnell each threw an interception before halftime. Linebacker Stanquan Clark’s second pick preceded running back Isaac Brown’s 15-yard touchdown run that boosted the Cardinals’ lead to 24-0. Nearly as unfortunate, the interception occurred after Pitt’s defense had forced Louisville to turn the ball over on downs at the Panthers’ 1.

The only momentum the Panthers generated all day lasted two snaps.

• Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi gave the football back to Louisville on two failed fourth-and-short gambles at midfield.

“You have to take those chances being down early,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t second-guess those decisions at all. We have to get a yard.”

By halftime, Pitt was behind 27-0, and Louisville had amassed 308 yards of offense. By the end of the game, Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough completed 17 of 28 passes for 293 of Louisville’s 505 total yards.

In the end, the Panthers made the type of history they would hope to avoid. Pitt is the only ACC team in the past 50 years to start the season with seven victories and then lose the next four, according to the ESPN2 telecast.

Even before the injury, the game did not start well for Holstein, who was intercepted by Clark at the goal line. Most discouraging about that opening drive was Holstein completed three of his first four passes for 51 yards, ran for 9 more and had moved Pitt to first-and-goal at the 7.

Shough, who threw for 202 yards in the first half, responded by completing six of seven passes for 64 yards. Pitt’s defense stiffened and forced Louisville to settle for Brock Travelstead’s 41-yard field goal — his first of three — and a 3-0 lead at 6:36.

Yarnell’s first series ended in a punt, but his teammates did him no favors.

After Reid carried three times for 14, 14 and 28 yards, the final run was called back by Moore’s holding penalty. On the next play, Davis dropped a pass and the drive ended three plays later.

Before the end of the first quarter, Brown scored on a 1-yard run, set up by his own 47-yard run.

Narduzzi’s first gamble came on the first play of the second quarter on fourth-and-1 at midfield. Davis was stopped for no gain while Reid, who averaged more than 5 yards per carry in the first quarter, was not on the field.

That made it easier for Louisville to increase its lead to 17-0 at 12:33 of the second quarter. Shough threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Corey Brooks, who was uncovered after a miscommunication between cornerback Rashad Battle and safety Cruce Brookins.

Pitt’s misfortune continued on the third play of the second half when cornerback Ryland Gandy tried to push Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell out of bounds after a 2-yard catch. Gandy didn’t use enough force, and Bell kept running for a 68-yard touchdown.

“Missed tackle out there,” Narduzzi said. “We have to make a play. I thought we had a good call. We have to make a tackle.”

Yarnell, whose practice time was limited before the game after taking a beating last week against Clemson, completed 11 of 23 passes for 96 yards. He tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Konata Mumpfield in the third quarter before he was replaced by walk-on quarterback David Lynch, who threw Pitt’s third interception of the game.

Pitt recorded a safety in the fourth quarter when Louisville running back Donald Chaney was tackled in the end zone.

“We have one more week guaranteed,” Yarnell said of the Boston College game next Saturday. “We’re going to out there and give it our best.”