PITTSBURGH — It will be a game-time decision for Eli Holstein this weekend.
Pat Narduzzi announced Thursday at his weekly presser that Holstein has not been cleared by the Pitt medical staff yet, and his status is a game-time decision.
Narduzzi said that Pitt has confidence in both Holstein and backup Nate Yarnell, but obviously, Holstein will play if healthy.
Holstein took a late, high hit from Virginia linebacker Trey McDonaldas he slid on a second-and-4 play midway through the third quarter. Holstein was helped off the field, went to the medical tent and left for the the locker room.
Yarnell finished the game, completing 4-of-12 pass attempts for 44 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He didn’t play well, but it was the first stretch of “bad” football from Yarnell in his limited college career. And offensive coordinator Kade Bell even liked what he saw from Yarnell.
“I thought once he got settled down, I thought he played really well,” Bell said Tuesday after practice. “We had a couple of drops when he was in there. I think the first pick that he had, he wanted to have back. He was really frustrated because we had the perfect look, the perfect play and he knew it. He saw it. He knew he was just late, like if he just throws that ball earlier down the middle of the field, we had what we wanted there to Raphael. He was open down the middle of the field, we just threw it late.
“And he knew that, that’s the great thing about Nate is that he’s a smart football kid, he knew that he was late and I just told him, hey if you’re late, just check the ball down because we had the tight end open, too.”
Holstein completed 10-of-23 pass attempts for 121 yards, adding 18 yards on the ground. Pitt held a 13-7 lead upon Holstein’s exit from the game.
It’s the second time in three weeks that Holstein was forced out of a contest with an apparent head injury. So, it’s possible that the medical staff decides to hold him out.
Holstein has completed 177-of-286 pass attempts for 2,176 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, adding 323 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, this season.
Get healthy, the line play is not suffice. See how R.Wilson looks like a Pro with solid lineman. Ran Kenny Pickett out of town with subPar lineplay, albatross on His neck.
Let Nate finish the year. He’s capable (behind that OL really who is?) a leader and an accurate arm…I worry they are going to ruin Holstein’s self-confidence and he can’t take too many more shots to the head…the kid has been struggling for weeks. I would let him learn from the bench.. at this point in the season there is nothing to gain.