Pat Narduzzi said that Clemson had the best defensive line that Pitt has faced all season, and Nate Yarnell definitely experienced that firsthand.
Yarnell was pressured on just about 40% of his 63 dropbacks against Clemson and was sacked eight times (with 10 quarterback hits). He was hit early and often, and while his lack of mobility contributed to some of those hits, he picked himself up off the ground every time.
It was a tough, gritty performance against the Tigers that earned the respect of the locker room.
“He’s a warrior,” Ryan Baer said Tuesday after practice. “I already had so much respect for Nate just how he’s been his whole career here, for stepping in like that and to go through the beating that we put him through like that, the hits that he took and he still battled through, we owe him anything.
“He gained a lot of respect in this building for that, and I wish we could have pulled it through for him.”
Yarnell completed 34-of-54 pass attempts for 350 yards with a touchdown and an interception against Clemson, falling just short in a 24-19 loss to the Tigers. He’s in the mix to start against Louisville, although Eli Holstein was cleared to return against the Cardinals, too.
And Baer was very complimentary of Holstein’s toughness this season.
“Eli is really tough,” Baer said. “I’ve seen him battle through, like early on when our production wasn’t great, he was battling. Especially that West Virginia game, he kind of put us on his back in that fourth quarter, so they both have tremendous respect in this building.”
Narduzzi declined to name a starter against Louisville earlier this week, but Holstein has been cleared by the medical staff after missing a game due to injury.
But both Pitt quarterbacks, according to Baer, have given the team confidence. Whether it’s Yarnell putting his shoulder down and picking up a first down against Clemson or Holstein doing the same against West Virginia earlier this season, both have battled this season.
The next chance for battle comes against Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Narduzzi and Bell would be total dumbasses if they don’t play Nate.
Did you know PITT’s pass D ranks 111th in Div 1 FB!
They claimed it was a competition, but after Nate passed for 350 against the best defense in the conference, they stick with Eli. Yes, dumbasses and bullshiters. Eli’s body language in the Clemson game was not good. He was stoic, not supporting Nate and not demonstrating any enthusiasm.
Pitt game is like my golf playing. Getting 80s in easy/short community courses, while 100+ in fancy/hard courses like pebble beach, despite of a few feel-good drivers and iron shots…