Inside The Panthers

Eli Holstein Breaks Another Pitt Record

Quarterback Eli Holstein continues to break more Pitt Panthers records in 2024.

Dominic Campbell

Oct 5, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein (10) runs with the ball in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein (10) runs with the ball in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein starred again for the Pitt Panthers in their 34-24 win vs. the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium and is playing some of best football in program history.

Holstein completed 25-of-42 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns to one interception. He also led the Panthers on the ground with 10 rushes for 76 yards and one touchdown, giving him four scores in the victory.

The 381 yards is the most for a Pitt freshman quarterback in a single game, breaking the record of 366 yards that Alex Van Pelt set against then ranked No. 9 rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl in a 31-31 tie in Morgantown on Sept. 30, 1989.

Holstein has also completed three touchdown passes in his first five games of the season, the first Pitt quarterback to do so in program history.

He is also the first Pitt freshman quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in four games since Van Pelt did it in 1989 and to have a 5-0 record since Dan Marino did in 1979.

“Guess I’m in pretty good company," Holstein said after the win over UNC. "He’s a Hall of Famer, an elite quarterback at college here at Pitt. Hopefully I can keep doing what he did and lead this team to great things."

Holstein led a strong first drive, which included a 43-yard pass to senior wide receiver Konata Mumpfield to set up the field goal.

It looked like he'd score again on the Panthers next drive with momentum on their side, but instead, threw an interception, that Tar Heels sophomore defensive back Kaleb Cost returned 84 yards for a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead.

"That was my fault," Holstein said on the interception. "I didn’t read man or zone. They played zone, I was kind of thinking man and I forced it, a little late to it. Guy made a great play, undercut it and took it to the house. That was all on me. Nothing they did different, special. Just made a bad read. Gotta learn from it."

Holstein and the Pitt offense faltered on the next drive, but the Pitt defense forced UNC to turn it over on downs, leading the offense finally getting it together.

He completed a pass to junior running back Desmond Reid, who caught it in midfield and then took it back 72 yards, setting up a seven-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Censere "C.J." Lee, to give Pitt a 10-7 lead.

Holstein managed to move on quickly from the interception, which is something that great quarterbacks have to do, especially early on in the game.

"As a quarterback, you got to," Holstein said on not letting the interception affect his play. "There’s gonna be plays, where bad stuff’s gonna happen and you gotta learn from it, you gotta move on. It’s the next play, it’s not the last play. Next play is the most important play. You gotta move on from it, learn from your mistakes and be able to go out there and play because your team needs you to make plays, especially at quarterback."

Pitt would never trail again in the game and Reid played a big role in that, finishing with 10 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown, that he dove to get over the pylon for the score.

Reid praised Holstein for his performance and that he knew he would bounce back quickly after the pick-six.

“Oh I mean, shoot, even when he threw the pick, I told him, “We’ve been through this before," Reid said. "He was never down about what happened. He already knew, next drive, we just gonna have to do better. Eli’s a dog. He don’t ever look at one play and be down. He was already up. I ain’t really have to say that much to him. He a great quarterback. Them type of quarterbacks you don’t have to say that much too."

Holstein also finished with his season-high total of 76 yards on 10 carries, with no sacks and only one yard lost. He took advantage of the attention that the North Carolina defense had on Reid and took it upon himself to make some big rushes throughout the game.

“They were playing some man coverage and no one was really accounting for me," Holstein said. "They were worried about Desmond Reid out of the backfield making plays because that’s what he does. You got to account for him and when he takes somebody out of the box, it just opens up holes for me to run.”

The defining drive for the Panthers came in the fourth quarter after another fourth down stop by the defense, their fourth of the game.

Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell generally likes to run a hurry-up offense and move the ball down quickly down the field to many options.

Holstein and the offense, instead, chose to drain the clock, with an eight-play, 67-yard drive that took over seven mintues, ending in a 37-yard field goal from redshirt senior place kicker Ben Sauls, giving Pitt a 10-point lead with two mintues left.

“It’s just all about our tempo," Holstein said on the final drive. "Our coaches communicated what we need to do and what our objective is on that drive. Make sure the ball doesn’t hit the ground, kill clock, completions, stay in bounds and get positive yards. Can’t really have any negative plays like and you’ll be able to chew clock when you need to."

The win for Holstein ended up much simpler than his first road win against Cincinnati. He was 5-of-14 with an interception in the third quarter in the Week 2 matchup, but managed to lead three touchdown drives and set up the game-winning field goal for Sauls with 30 seconds left.

Holstein praised his defense for giving them momentum and that once this Pitt offense gets going, it's hard to stop in any environment.

"Once you get that first touchdown, that lid comes off, then you’re able to make some plays," Holstein said. "We’ve got a good defense that’s gonna have our back and we’re gonna have their back. When you have a team like this, doesn’t matter where you go, you’re going to play a good team. You’re gonna play in a crazy environment and you’re gonna have to get the win no matter what."

Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi praised his signal caller's effort along with the rest of the team for the play on the road. He also made sure to get the roster "Road Warriors" t-shirts, to congratulate their win in Chapel Hill.

"He’s a competitor now, nothing phases him," Narduzzi said on Holstein. "Some quarterbacks will hesitate, but that guy didn’t hesitate. He made plays after play, after play. Whether it’s with his feet or with his arm, it’s a great performance. It’s kind of what he’s done all year now, so it’s expected."

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Dominic Campbell
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