Joey Yellen is expected to start at quarterback once again when Pitt hosts No. 3 Notre Dame this Saturday at Heinz Field, Pat Narduzzi said on Monday.
Yellen, a redshirt freshman in his first season at Pitt, made his first start with the Panthers and the second of his career on Saturday in Pitt’s loss to Miami, while regular starter Kenny Pickett did not make the trip to Florida.
Narduzzi said after the game that there was a chance Pickett could return in time to face the Irish, and that he would certainly be ready to play when Pitt comes back from its off week to visit Florida State on Nov. 7.
But on Monday, he committed to Yellen being the starter, saying “right now I do” when asked if he’s going into the week assuming Yellen will get the nod. Fellow redshirt freshman Davis Beville also got some snaps at quarterback against the Hurricanes.
“We’re going to go in like we normally do,” Narduzzi said. “A lot of confidence in Davis. Liked what I saw with Joey. Coach [Mark] Whipple did as well. We missed a couple throws. I love his patience in the pocket. …
“Those guys are going to get better every week as we move on and then we’ll see where Kenny is. We didn’t travel Kenny because it was the best thing for him to just rehab. Sitting on a plane for two hours, the swelling and all that stuff, was not going to be the best thing for him. We wanted to bring Captain Pickett with us, but it was the best thing to leave him here, which he made a lot of headway over the weekend instead of standing four hours during the game.”
But Narduzzi cautioned that he could change his mind on all of that between his Monday press conference and kickoff of Saturday.
“We’ll see how they practice this week as far as the quarterbacks,” he said.
Sorry, I’m not getting the confidence vibe from Yellen. It seems like he’s waiting for something bad to happen and starts working towards it. Like he’s Running with ankle weights on. Maybe that’s what USC saw too.
Actually, what USC saw was Joey Yellen throwing four touchdown passes against them when they played Arizona State last season.
I realize we are a ways out from next season but if Yellen wins out in the QB battle, will Beville stick around ? Obviously, Yellen came here expecting to play (?) and has one transfer behind him. not sure what the rules are with respect to more transfers. in any case, given the same class (RS-F), why would Beville hang around to be a backup ? Patti still is there, Clough is on the roster and Yarnell has committed. I realize why the coaches love to have depth, but if “I” am the depth, maybe I’m not as excited.
I meant Clouse …
I’d assume that at least one, and maybe two, quarterbacks transfer after someone wins the starting job, whether that’s the end of this season or next spring or next fall or whenever.
One or two will certainly transfer. That’s the way it is these days. Kids want instant starting instead of sticking and working hard.
Not going to make any conclusions after his first start at Pitt on the road against Miami. It took him 1 1/2 quarters to get his feet wet then you could see him getting more comfortable. What I do like is he doesn’t panic too soon and run spastically, he actually stays in the pocket and delivers the ball. He does need to learn not to take sacks but he does look more poised and less spastic compared to what we’re used to.
How close was the competition between Beville and Yellen? I thought Beville being in the program an extra yr longer was in his best interest. Beville did replace Pickett for a few plays vs Louisville – why not Yellen in the Louisville game? Did Yellen out-perform Beville by a lot in the two weeks between Louisville and Miami to get the start or is there another reason Beville is #2? It sure seems like transfers get the nod over a recruited player. Yes I’m a bit chafed – Beville is a talented kid who is the classic drop-back QB with… Read more »
Beville is a way better athlete, but I think Yellen is more accurate and has a far quicker and cleaner release.
Transfers are going to always get the nod over the recruited player, because the only reason to take a transfer is that they already don’t think the recruited player is good enough.
With the way our OL will look next year it seems Beville should be the choice. Whomever is behind center better be ready to run.