Why Pitt Turned to Christian Veilleux

The Pitt Panthers are looking for a "spark" in Christian Veilleux.

PITTSBURGH -- The mood around the Pitt Panthers as they hit the bye week was clear. Riding a four-game losing streak, they were disappointed and felt like they needed something - anything - different. 

“We’ve set an expectation and a bar up here over the past couple of years and we’re not reaching it," Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. "Nobody’s happy.”

So the Panthers made a desperate move, benching starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec for redshirt sophomore Christian Veilleux during the bye week as they look for a "spark," as Narduzzi put it. They are hoping an injection of youth will help kickstart the Pitt offense, which is scoring the 100th-most points of anyone in FBS. 

Narduzzi said he still has loads of confidence in Jurkovec, but that his team needed something different. 

"I’ve got a ton of confidence in Phil Jurkovec, even if you don’t or won’t," Narduzzi said. "I still do. But I felt like we needed a spark at that position so we’ll see how that goes. … So Christian will be the guy there and we expect to have a good week there.”

Narduzzi added that Veilluex will get his time to prove he can lead the offense. He is not the starter in perpetuity and will have to prove his mettle each and every time out. 

Narduzzi also said this move is about winning in the immediate future and salvaging this season, not looking towards the future and preparing their next starting quarterback for a restart in 2024. He believes Veilleux can deliver right away. 

“He’s got a great, quick release, throws a great ball, he’s athletic and he’s fired up," Narduzzi said. "So he wants his opportunity and we’re going to find out what it looks like on Saturday.”

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