Pitt QB Shows Maturity After Difficult Performance

Pitt Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein showed maturity after struggling vs. Cal.

Oct 12, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein (10) passes against the California Golden Bears during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 17-15. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein normally has put on great performances for his team in 2024, but his play vs. Cal in Week 7 contrasted with his usual outputs.

He completed just 14-of-28, 50% of his passes for 133 yards and two interceptions with no touchdown passes, serving as his worst game of the season.

Holstein previously had just three interceptions in his first five games and threw three touchdowns in each of them, the first player in Panthers history to do the latter.

Luckily for him, the Panthers' defense played a fantastic game, with six sacks and stopping the Golden Bears on fourth down on the final drive to come out with the 17-15 win, as the offense scored no points in the second half.

Holstein took responsibility for his performance following the win, apologizing for his mistakes and vowing to right them in the coming weeks.

“Me, I played like a freshman today," Holstein said. "Trying to force things. Not taking what the defense gives me. Trying to do too much. Trying to make plays in unnecessary situations when I just needed to trust my guys, trust coach Bell, trust the offense to get the ball to those guys and let them  make plays."

The Cal defense made it difficult for Holstein throughout, showing/playing in different coverages that caught him off guard.

He threw one of his picks to senior defensive back Nohl Williams, who leads the FBS with six interceptions on the season. The Golden Bears also have 13 interceptions as a team, tied for the most in the FBS with Minnesota and UNLV.

“That’s a great defense we played right there," Holstein said on Cal. "They played every coverage in the book. They gave me different looks. It was hard to really tell what they were playing in certain situations. Like I said, it’s a great defense over there. They’re one of the top defenses in the country for a reason. I got to play better, obviously, got to do the little things right. When we play good defenses like that and I do the little things right, that’s when we’re going to win games.”

Holstein has had this bye week off, but with the team off to their best start since 1982 when Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino was a senior, he has a lot of work to make sure Pitt stays undefeated.

"Watch film," Holstein said. "Definitely going to watch a lot of film. Learn from my mistakes, learn just what I need to do differently. How do I attack a game week. How do I attack every drive. Just going out and doing things right."

Holstein and the offense led comebacks against Cincinnati on the road in Week 2 and against rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl at home in Week 3, but the defense prevented Cal from their comeback in Week 7.

The defense's performance gives the Panthers hope that even if the offense struggles late in the season they'll have a chance to win almost any game.

"They had a great night," Holstein said. "I think our team needed a win like this. With as bad as I played, we still got a win. I think that’s gonna help us get wins against good teams. When your defense plays like this and you got faith, even if we’re not clicking, they’re gonna get us the ball back, get a stop and help us win the game."

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi wants Holstein to do the right more often then serve as the star, but that he'll grow from this performance and play even better the rest of 2024.

"I mean, it's good, Eli is a man," Narduzzi said. "He gets it. He's going to get credit when things are going great, and he's going to get bashed when they don't. But we knew that coming in. We knew that coming in. He had stuff wide open and he needs to throw it and not try to be the hero all the time. They did throw a lot of different stuff at him. Especially with the tempo they did a nice job. Again, he will learn from it. That's the great thing."

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