PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – First couple of drives, the Pitt offense was a little wobbly. Along with a couple of stalled possessions against an FCS program, a turnover in the end zone. But as it started to click for redshirt sophomore quarterback Eli Holstein, the offense went with it in a 61-9 win over Duquesne.
“Shook the rust off a little bit, it’s been awhile since I’ve been out there in a live game,” Holstein said. “Settling down, calming down, playing some football and having fun. Doing the little things right went a long way. I was able to go out there and make some plays.”
“When it’s live, it’s totally different,” said Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. “He knows he’s going to get hit.
He’s live.”
It seemed it started to turn for Holstein early with his feet, including a 16-yard run on a fourth and one read option. He was Pitt second leading rusher with 41 yards.
“He ran when he needed to run,” Narduzzi said. “He got tough yards, which was good. I think he had a quarterback power where he bulled through people for eight, 10 yards. It was a nice run. I liked what I saw out of him.”
“Duquesne, they did a great job early,” said Pitt running back Desmond Reid. “We had to change a lot of stuff. As the game kept going, Eli got more comfortable. You see what happens when he gets more comfortable.”
After a couple of punts, a touchdown and an interception in the first four possessions, the next four were all touchdowns. It included a TD pass to Kenny Johnson where Holstein had to scramble around in the pocket to buy the time to get him the ball. There was also the great, one-handed catch by Blue Hicks, but it was also thrown in an area only Hicks could get it.
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Overall 15-23 for 215 yards and 4 touchdowns with a 192.4 rating.
“It was awesome,” Holstein said. “It was a sight of relief to be out there with my brothers, just having fun. Football is a fun game I’ve been playing since I was six years old.”
“Going out there after how my season was cut short last year, hadn’t played in a long time. It meant the world to me.”
Reid repeat
He did it in his first game ever with Pitt and to start year two, Desmond Reid did it again, only this one set a record. The senior All-American returned a punt for a touchdown in the second consecutive season opener, this one an Acrisure Stadium record 88 yards.
“It was meant to be,” Reid said. “The blockers did their job. Everybody did their job and that’s what helped me get to where I needed to get. Once I get past where I need to get past, there is no one catching me. That’s how I’ve been my whole life, once I get past the second level, score!”