PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was a hot start. Some glimpses of what Pitt is trying to change offensively and also some improvements to make as the Panthers beat Kent State 55-24 in the season opener at Acrisure Stadium.
Eli Holstein got the start at quarterback, finding out Thursday, and led the offense for the first three quarters with three touchdown passes. Overall the offense had 570 yards on 80 plays.
Pitt came with its promised tempo on offense and after a number of productive, mostly vertical plays, it was a horizonal connection that got the Panthers an opening touchdown on the opening drive.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein looked comfortable with a hurry-up scheme, completing a pass to Gavin Bartholomew for a third down conversion on the third play of his career. It was seven plays in when Holstein dropped back and threw an over-the-shoulder pass that Kenny Johnson made a great adjustment to catch it over his right shoulder, while staying in-bounds at the one-yard line.
“That’s just the chemistry you have to develop outside of practice,” Holstein said. “When I first got here, me and Kenny were going up to the facility and throwing balls like that. We had a list of what we wanted to go through-quick game, RPOs, intermediate and go some deep stuff, red zone. Just getting the timing down, because we knew that day was going to come that we would be out there playing together and we had to be on time with the play.”
Even after a holding penalty negated a Holstein TD run, the right-hander stood in the pocket and threaded the defense in the seam for an 11-yard touchdown to Konata Mumpfield and 2:59 into Kade Bell’s first game as Pitt offensive coordinator, it was 7-0.
Bell brought a couple of players with him from Western Carolina, including running back Desmond Reid. After the Pitt defense stopped Kent State in three plays, Reid plays the punt off the bounce. After immediately spinning out of an initial hit, Reid sprinted right, weaved through traffic for a 78-yard punt return touchdown and an early 14-0 lead.
“I got to pick this one up,” Reid said. “I saw everybody on my side, I said I will pick this up and go right and it will be a touchdown. That’s what happened.”
Panthers would benefit from a targeting penalty on a Golden Flashes red zone stop. That turned into the first Pitt touchdown for Gateway High School graduate, running back Derrick Davis, a two-yard run, 21-7. Panthers would go 55-yards on the next drive ending in another well-thrown pass, this to the corner, by Holstein to Rafael Williams for a seven-yard score, 28-7.
There were a few punts. A back-foot pass from Holstein that hung in the air in the flat and intercepted by KSU at the three-yard line.
After Kent State scored to make it a seven-point game in the third, Reid showed off his speed with a 46-yard touchdown run, 35-21.
“I just saw one-on-one with a safety,” Reid said. “That’s what we want, one-on-one with a safety and make him miss. I already know what I can do. Once I get one-on-one with anybody, I already know what is going to happen.”
On the next drive, Holstein had great recognition on a low snap to look downfield and find Reid streaking to the end zone. An alert KSU defensive back spotted the ball that floated a little too much, but dropped the diving pick attempt. Two plays later, Holstein with another great corner throw as Johnson made one-foot catch in the back, left corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown, 42-24.
Holstein would play until the fourth quarter finishing 30-40 for 336 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, just 30 yards shy of a Panthers record by a redshirt freshman quarterback in his debut.
Nate Yarnell also escaped an interception on his first throw and capitalized tossing a corner touchdown of his own to Williams to make it 52-24. Yarnell would finish 4-8 for 33 yards.
Bell’s offense ran hurry-up, slowed down, went somewhere in-between for a 55-point opening win. Areas to celebrate, young players stepping up and work to do before playing at Cincinnati on Saturday.
“There is a different bounce with our kids,” said head coach Pat Narduzzi. “I watched them come out of offensive meetings at 8:30p and the smiles on their faces, they are excited. They had a lot of confidence going in. It’s a tribute to our offensive staff and Coach Bell and what he’s brought to the offense. There is a lot of confidence about what they are doing and how they are doing it.”
“It was important for them to come out there and put some points up like they did. The great thing about him (Kade Bell) is that he is in the locker room all mad because he thinks he left three touchdowns out there.”