Pitt QB Christain Veilleux Taking Lessons from Losses

Pitt Panthers starter Christian Veilleux is turning the Notre Dame loss into important lessons.

PITTSBURGH -- Christian Veilleux's third game as the Pitt Panthers' starting quarterback was a startling departure from strong performances against then-No. 14 Louisville and Wake Forest. 

No. 14 Notre Dame pursued him relentlessly, bringing blitz after blitz to fluster the redshirt sophomore and it worked. Veilleux threw just 187 yards and four interceptions before being pulled midway through the fourth quarter. He figures to be Pitt's quarterback of the future, but Veilleux took some brutal licks against the Fighting Irish. Now he's got to learn from them. 

“You definitely learn something new every game," Veilleux said. "I think what Notre Dame did was unique and to their own style so getting to see those reps and get those reps and being able to learn from it, it’ll go a long way.”

Veilleux admitted that it wasn't fun to review his tape from the Notre Dame loss. He didn't think he looked poised in the face of a furious pass rush and let the dramatic backdrop of historic Notre Dame Stadium overwhelm him at times. He appreciated the chance to compete in a vaunted venue like the one in South Bend, but added that he has a lot to learn if he hopes to produce better results. 

“The environment is definitely a good environment too," Veilleux said. "Honestly, it didn’t feel like afterwards when I watched the tape, I was like ‘Man, I think I let it get to me a little bit.’ So, like I said, something to learn from. It was a great opportunity to play against that team in that stadium. Just got to learn from it.” 

The road does not get easier after last weekend's 51-point loss. The next time Veilleux takes the field, he'll be standing across the line of scrimmage from a top-four team in Florida State, who will almost certainly bring the same kind of furious pressure that Notre Dame did. 

Veilleux is still green and opponents believe they can exploit that. They'll continue to believe that until Veilleux handles the pressure and makes opponents pay. To do that, Veilleux said he'll need to study where they're coming from and determine how he can align his blockers to stop it. Veilleux has taken the punch and is still learning how to counter-punch.

“Just when you watch our past games, a lot of teams brought pressure and were successful on some of those," Veilleux said. "So we just got to watch the film, be better at identifying pressures and really setting up the protections to block it but I’d be stupid if I said teams aren’t going to blitz me.”

Notre Dame challenged him and Veilleux panicked at times. In an attempt to make plays and lead his team out of a deep hole, Veilleux said he tried to do too much instead of playing within himself and the system. 

A bounce-back performance this week against the No. 4 Seminoles will take some better preparation and toughness. It's all part of the learning process and Veilleux is trying to grow while also keeping Pitt competitive. It's a tall order but Veilleux has a plan of attack and is eager to take another step forward with another week of experience under his belt. 

“It’s just learning to be comfortable, learning to take a hit and just understanding the playbook and executing it," Veilleux said. "I think I got away from that this weekend and tried to do some things I shouldn’t have done and, like I said it’s a great learning opportunity to just stay within the system, stand back there and be a guy to deliver the ball. Even if you take a hit, you have to stand back there.”

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