Pitt Won't Commit to Christian Veilleux as Starting QB
PITTSBURGH -- Following another fruitless performance by the offense, Pat Narduzzi kept the door open for the Pitt Panthers to make another change at quarterback this season.
Christian Veilleux was named the starting quarterback ahead of Pitt's matchup with Louisville earlier in the season and led the Panthers to a win over the Cardinals, but it's been downhill ever since.
Veilleux went 13-for-22 for 161 yards against Syracuse with a touchdown, interception and two fumbles as the Panthers went on to lose their fourth-straight game. During that stretch, Veilleux has thrown four touchdowns and six interceptions while Pitt has failed to score over 17 points in any of those contests.
With the offense sputtering late against the Orange, Pat Narduzzi called Nate Yarnell's number for the second time in three weeks in hopes of igniting a spark. Yarnell didn't receive much of an opportunity to showcase his skill set, attempting just five passes for 48 yards, but Narduzzi's tone regarding the quarterback position was vastly different than it had been in recent weeks.
Narduzzi pointed to Veilleux's turnovers as the main reason for the change, stating that he has to be more protective of the ball in critical situations.
"He turned the ball over three times. He threw a pick-six and in a 15-point final game and you throw a pick six for a touchdown and that was one of them. We also had two fumbled exchanges, three turnovers," Narduzzi said. "We have a nice drive going, first series of the second half we drive all the way down there and put the ball on the ground with a ball handling deal, which just can’t happen."
Yarnell's first game action this season came in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss against Notre Dame where he threw for 75 yards and a touchdown. At the time, Narduzzi indicated that he simply wanted to give Veilleux a rest and give Yarnell reps while pushing back against the idea of a quarterback controversy.
"It was about getting (Yarnell) reps and just seeing what he’s got. He’s a good football player and we’ve got a lot of faith in him as well," Narduzzi said following the loss to Notre Dame. "Christian’s not benched. It’s just a matter of giving Nate a chance to go in there and show what he’s got."
As frustration mounts and the lack of results continues with Veilleux at the helm, Narduzzi declared that he won't officially name him the starter moving forward without furthering examining his performance against Syracuse.
"We’re going to look at the tape and find out," Narduzzi said.
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