PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was more than just the numbers that clinched the decision for Pat Narduzzi. The Pitt head coach removing the ‘or’ between quarterbacks Eli Holstein and Nate Yarnell, making Holstein the Pitt starting quarterback.
The numbers would tell you he’s the starter even if Narduzzi didn’t say it before Monday afternoon. In his first college football game, 30 of 40 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. But it was more than that.
“I think just composure I would say,” Narduzzi said. “You just look at how he just kind of was out there smooth. You don't ever know how a guy is going to react. I don't care if it's a quarterback or a D-lineman. How are they as far as just his composure on game day, how he carried himself, how he led the offense, how there wasn't a bunch of false starts and mechanical issues as far as just the operation. It was a clean start. That's tough to do for a redshirt freshman.”
He also made good decisions, which led to this being the only decision for Narduzzi. And really that’s what he wanted. A situation so obvious that not only could media and fans figure it out, but so could his teammates.
Narduzzi said Yarnell handled it like a pro.
“He's as great a kid as you're going to be around,” Narduzzi said Monday. “He knows it's a long season. We all know it's a long season. If we get our quarterback hit like we did last week, Nate will be the guy in there, and we've got a heck of a lot of confidence in him.”
“Nate has handled it well,” Narduzzi said. “I'm sure it's not easy. It's not easy making the decisions, not easy taking it, but he's a supporter. Just like he was last week, I expect the same support this week of him encouraging and coaching like he does.”
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Granted all of what happened around a week one win needs to be graded on a curve considering Pitt was facing one of the worst teams in Division 1 in 2023. It will be different against Cincinnati on Saturday than Kent State. The Bearcats were picked 14th in the Big 12, but it’s a Power 4 school and it’s on the road. Pitt’s last win in Nippert Stadium was 2010 and Cincinnati won last year at Acrisure Stadium.
“Cincinnati is a really, really good football team,” Narduzzi said. “If you guys recall, they were in the playoffs a couple years ago, so they've got talent. They did a great job recruiting. They're in a hotbed of football in southwest Ohio. They've got talent. They've got talent all over that roster, and they've obviously dipped into the portal. A lot of their defensive guys are from the portal, as well.”
Last year the Panthers put 45 points on Wofford only to struggle the rest of the season. This offense looks different. This quarterback looks different. It’s Holstein job and he earned it.