Inside The Panthers

Phil Jurkovec Starting for Pitt vs Virginia Tech

The Pitt Panthers will get their starting quarterback back in the lineup.

Stephen Thompson

Phil Jurkovec Starting for Pitt vs Virginia Tech
Phil Jurkovec Starting for Pitt vs Virginia Tech /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will get their starting quarterback tonight back against Virginia Tech, according to multiple reports. 

The Panthers will start Phil Jurkovec, who has recovered from an undisclosed injury he suffered last week against North Carolina, according to a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.  

Concerns of an injury to Jurkovec, who took a targeting hit in the waning seconds of the first half last week, have lingered over Pitt's offense all week and left the door open for Veilleux to make his first start as a Panther. Head coach Pat Narduzzi did little to quell speculation this week about who will be his starter, saying on Thursday he had a "pretty good idea" of who it will be but isn't willing to share that publicly.

Narduzzi said at the beginning of the week that he didn't know who would start at quarterback on Saturday, but did add that Jurkovec would play if healthy and if not, he would turn to Veilleux. Redshirt sophomore Nate Yarnell remains the third-stringer.

Jurkovec's struggles this season have been well-documented. Against Cincinnati and West Virginia in Weeks 2 and 3, he completed 18 of 52 passes for 261 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. But Jurkovec rebounded against North Carolina, completing 73% of his 15 passes for 109 yards before he was knocked out with an undisclosed injury.

Veilleux entered in relief of Jurkovec and completed just seven of 18 passes for 85 yards and a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble as well.

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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