Analysis: Eli Holstein’s head, ankle injuries only part of the issues plaguing Pitt
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The air was electric inside Acrisure Stadium during Pitt’s prime-time victory against Syracuse precisely one month ago.
Larry Fitzgerald was in the house among nearly 50,000 fans, Pitt returned three interceptions for touchdowns, went into halftime with a 31-0 lead and eventually crafted its first 7-0 start in 42 years.
Who knew disaster lurked that very night, the first blow in a slow, steady dismantling of what some dared to believe was a special season?
In the fourth quarter, quarterback Eli Holstein ran for 13 yards to the Syracuse 34 while Pitt was comfortably ahead 38-6 with 13 minutes left in the game. He took a shot to the head, his first of two within 16 days.
Over the next four games — all losses — he has been in and out of the lineup. He missed the entire four-point loss to Clemson and suffered a serious ankle injury early in the Louisville game Saturday.
Coach Pat Narduzzi said, “We’ll see” when asked about Holstein’s injury, but he said he turned to walk-on quarterback David Lynch in the fourth quarter to protect Nate Yarnell from injury.
“We’re going to need him the rest of the way, and I didn’t want him to get banged up.”
He should have done the same for Holstein. Maybe it wouldn’t have prevented the four-game losing streak — Pitt has other issues, too — but Pitt’s best quarterback since Kenny Pickett was put at risk while his team was up 32 points in the fourth quarter of a game that already was decided. Why not hand off, punt if necessary and tuck Holstein safely on the sideline for the rest of the game?
Two weeks later, Holstein played poorly against Virginia before leaving with his second head injury, which would have been his first if Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Kade Bell used more caution in the Syracuse game. Holstein threw an interception on the goal line Saturday before hurting his ankle and watching the rest of the game on crutches.
Today, Pitt (7-4, 3-4) sits in a five-way tie for eighth place in the ACC. How did that happen?
Here are some reasons that go beyond Holstein’s injuries:
• Let’s start with the 48-25 loss to first-place SMU. No shame in that, but Pitt barely put up a fight on the road, falling behind 31-3 at halftime and giving up 467 yards of offense (161 on the ground).
• Next up was the 24-19 loss to Virginia, a team that went on to lose its next two games by a total margin of 68-21 and still isn’t bowl eligible. If you insist, blame the referees for ordering a do-over after Pitt had stopped Virginia on fourth down late. But Virginia ran for 170 yards, Pitt committed 11 penalties, Holstein was 10 of 23 before getting injured again and Yarnell threw two interceptions in relief.
• The 24-20 loss to Clemson can be blamed on Pitt’s defense allowing quarterback Cade Klubnik to run 50 yards for the decisive score. But the offense is equally complicit. Pitt went more than 43 minutes without scoring a touchdown. Yes, Clemson has a strong defense, but that’s also the point. Clemson’s defense is better than Pitt’s offense, especially when its best quarterback isn’t playing.
• Which brings us to Saturday in Louisville, where Pitt was behind 27-0 at halftime on the way to a 37-9 defeat. The Panthers used up their rally allotment against Cincinnati and West Virginia. Tackling was sloppy, allowing the Cardinals 505 yards of offense, including 212 on the ground. In losses to SMU, Virginia and Louisville, Pitt surrendered an average of 181 rushing yards — reason No. 1 for the losing streak. Also, on offense, Desmond Reid, the team’s best playmaker, was on the sideline when Pitt tried to convert two short fourth downs at midfield. Why? “I wouldn’t be able to answer that,” Narduzzi said.
That said, Pitt has a chance to reach eight victories when it travels to Boston College on Saturday. But the wounded list has put too much pressure on the team’s depth and has grown to include Holstein, running back Daniel Carter, wide receiver Censere Lee, left tackle Branson Taylor and center Lyndon Cooper.
“We’ve been banged up since Cal (Oct. 12),” Narduzzi said.
In the face of everything, he added, “The resolve in our locker room is good.”
What about the big picture?
Narduzzi has done a good job polishing the program’s profile when it desperately needed an upgrade. He won an ACC championship and helped bring enthusiastic crowds into Acrisure in recent seasons. Also, his loyalty to the program is not to be dismissed or minimized.
But on the matter of winning and losing, Pitt is averaging 7.3 victories per season in Narduzzi’s nearly 10 years and its ACC record is 5-10 in 2023 and 2024.
Narduzzi and everyone else expected better.