Down by 10 with the clock running out, the Pittsburgh sideline stayed calm and collected. There was no sign of panic or worry.
Why would there be, given Eli Holstein’s performance?
In the last eight days, the Panthers have come from behind against a longtime rival twice. And both times, the redshirt freshman quarterback delivered comebacks that have transformed a season filled with doubts into one full of hope.
Holstein led two late touchdown drives, throwing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Daejon Reynolds with 3:06 left. He then directed Pitt 77 yards in six plays, ending with a 1-yard touchdown run by Derrick Davis with 32 seconds remaining, securing a thrilling 38-34 win over West Virginia in the 107th Backyard Brawl on Saturday.
“Eli’s done an incredible job,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “When he needs to make a play, he makes a play.”
Holstein threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 59 yards. His rushing total would have been higher if not for five sacks.
This win was Pitt’s second in three games against the Mountaineers since their rivalry resumed in 2022. It also marked another dramatic comeback led by Holstein in just one week.
Pitt was down by 21 points late in the third quarter against Cincinnati before coming back to win by one. The situation seemed even tougher at a crowded Acrisure Stadium when WVU’s Garrett Greene threw a 28-yard touchdown to Justin Robinson with 4:55 left, putting the Mountaineers up 34-24.
Despite this, the message from the team’s leaders was clear: get the ball to Holstein and let him do his thing.
“He’s a freshman?” senior linebacker Brandon George joked. “He shows a great amount of leadership. That’s something you don’t often see from a freshman quarterback … I’ll ride through hell for that guy.”
Holstein passed the credit to his teammates, especially Reynolds, who hadn’t been targeted for almost 12 full quarters this season until Holstein threw a pass while Pitt was facing 2nd-and-30 at the WVU 40 after a couple of holding penalties.
The 6-foot-2 Reynolds was covered by a defender, and flags flew. Holstein thought there would be a pass interference call, and there was. However, the Panthers didn’t need the penalty, as Reynolds caught the ball in the end zone.
“That’s just a normal catch (for Reynolds),” Pitt wide receiver Kenny Johnson said. “He makes that catch 100 out of 100 times.”
The Panthers forced the Mountaineers to a three-and-out and needed only six plays to set up Davis’ game-winning dive.
WVU had one last opportunity, but Greene’s final pass was intercepted by Kyle Louis near midfield with 4 seconds left to finish the game.
“We were up with 5 minutes to go,” Greene said. He threw for 210 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and also ran for 49 yards. “We shouldn’t lose games like that.”
The Mountaineers (1-2) made several mistakes. They had a long touchdown pass in the third quarter called back for holding and then gave up a blocked punt that George returned 24 yards for a touchdown, putting Pitt up 24-17.
WVU scored the next 17 points and seemed to be in control after Justin Robinson made a leaping one-handed catch at the goal line—while holding onto the facemask of a Pitt player—but the Panthers managed to grab their 63rd all-time win over the Mountaineers with Holstein playing a key role.
“Eli’s not scared, he’s not hesitant,” Louis said. “He’s breaking free from three 300-pounders and running for 15 yards … He’s got that dog mentality.”
