Pitt notebook: Eli Holstein’s connection with his new teammates started in January
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Football is a game of trust, camaraderie and the ability to mesh different skill sets and personalities into one efficient unit.
So, how is this possible?
The seven players most responsible for Pitt amassing 570 yards and seven touchdowns Saturday in a 55-24 victory against Kent State were attending four different schools last season.
Quarterback Eli Holstein was in Alabama, a powerhouse program in the SEC. He might not have even heard of Desmond Reid and Censere Lee, who were at Western Carolina of the FCS, or Poppi Williams, who was at San Diego State, not even playing football.
Kenny Johnson, Gavin Bartholomew, Konata Mumpfield and Derrick Davis Jr. were muddling through a 3-9 season at Pitt, possibly wondering when and if their fortunes might change.
Thanks to the blessings of the transfer portal, a sense of team loyalty and, most likely, some NIL riches that kept the four Pitt players on board, all seven came together to lead an impressive victory.
Holstein said it started in the cold, dark days of January, his first at Pitt after transferring.
“Kenny and I were going up to the (indoor practice) facility late at night throwing balls,” he said. They were joined by several others.
“We had a list (of routes) we were going through, getting the timing down.”
The first tangible result was a 46-yard completion from Holstein to Johnson to the 1 in the first quarter. Johnson, who missed most of training camp with an injury, was the game’s leading pass catcher with seven receptions for 105 yards.
Highlights ???? Pitt 55, Kent State 24#H2P » #WeNotMe pic.twitter.com/hzwmPcJfSi
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) August 31, 2024
“I believe in Kenny. He can run and he just outran the dude (Kent State cornerback Naim Muhammad),” Holstein said. “I lofted it up there and let him go get it and he made a play.”
Holstein, a redshirt freshman, completed 75% of his passes (30 or 40) for 336 yards only four months after a largely miserable spring when he was hampered by a hamstring injury. His recovery has been complete for a long time.
After Holstein won the summer quarterback derby over incumbent Nate Yarnell and was able to do almost anything he wanted against Kent State, Narduzzi’s problems at that position may be solved. Minutes after the game, Pitt’s coach didn’t want to be pinned down to a definitive answer, but it’s clear that he has found his quarterback.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ll talk about that Monday,” he said. “I want to sit down with the offense and sit down with Kade (Bell, offensive coordinator).
“I think things looked pretty good (Saturday), what we kind of thought coming out of camp. Eli was sharp. If things didn’t look sharp early, we’d probably have pulled him earlier to see what Nate had. I didn’t have a plan for when and what to do (with the quarterback workload). But the way (Holstein) played with composure, obviously, it’s going to be … we’re going to see a little bit more next Saturday in Cincinnati.
“Overall, 30 of 40 for, what, 300-plus yards, I would say he looked pretty darn good.”
Yarnell played in the fourth quarter, completing 4 of 8 passes for 33 yards and a touchdown.
What about that pick?
Holstein threw one interception, an ill-advised pass to the sideline in the second quarter. He appeared to throw off his heels while trying to avoid a pass rush.
“I thought I had a little bit of pressure, but I didn’t,” he said. “I should have just stepped up in the pocket and delivered the ball. Next time, I’ll throw it away.”
Sack of irritation
Kent State recorded three sacks of Holstein and one of Yarnell, adding to Narduzzi’s list of aggravating items he looked into Sunday.
“But overall, (Holstein) got the ball out of his hands when he needed to,” the coach said. “I think one series (in the first quarter), we gave up two sacks in a row, which is disappointing. (We will) see if he needed to get rid of it or we had a protection problem.”
The first sack was a cornerback blitz by Muhammad.
For openers
Pitt is 9-1 in openers under Narduzzi, but the list of victims is not impressive. Youngstown State (twice), Villanova, Albany, Austin Peay, UMass, Wofford and Kent State were the losers in eight of the games. Pitt lost to Virginia in 2019 and defeated West Virginia in 2022.
Next up
Pitt will play at Cincinnati of the Big 12 on Saturday. The Panthers are 1-5 against the Bearcats dating to 2008. Cincinnati opened with a 38-20 victory against Towson.
By the numbers
Pitt scored touchdowns on five of its six trips into the red zone. “Coach Bell takes red zone personal,” Holstein said. … Ben Sauls kicked two field goals, the second-longest of his career from the 50 and another from 39 yards … Eight of Pitt’s 11 possessions ended in points. Caleb Junko punted twice for an average of 45 yards. … Pitt recorded five sacks and an interception by safety Donovan McMillon. Linebacker Kyle Louis had one of the sacks and lamented that he didn’t get one more. “For the rest of the season, my goal is to get two sacks every game,” he said. That would be a total of 23. Nothing wrong with thinking big.