Year after year, I marvel at the fact that Pat Narduzzi sabotaged his own program after having the best offensive season in his career, but Pitt is back on track on offense in 2025. Narduzzi ran off his offensive staff after Kenny Pickett finished in third place in Heisman voting in 2021, but he went out and got a highly regarded transfer quarterback last year, and his offense has done enough to win games over the last year and change.
Pitt was a curious destination for Eli Holstein when he transferred
from Alabama, as he was a highly regarded high school prospect, and Pitt had not seen good quarterback play since Pickett left. However, Holstein is a perfect fit for Pitt’s new offense led by Kade Bell. Bell’s offense utilizes Holstein’s running ability while also being aggressive down the field in the passing game. Holstein makes mistakes that you would expect from a young quarterback, but his positives greatly outweigh his negatives.
Holstein is at his best when he scrambles or extends plays. He has a knack for finding guys in the middle of the field when he gets on the move, and his ability to navigate the pocket is exceptional for a redshirt sophomore. Louisville’s pass rush was nonexistent against Bowling Green, and they will have to get back on track this weekend to limit Holstein’s effectiveness.
The star of the show for Pitt’s offense is Desmond Reid at running back. The 5-8/175 back can do it all, and he does it all for this offense. He is averaging 5.9 yards per carry on the season, to go along with a 21-yard average on punt returns, which includes a touchdown. Reid is electric with the ball in his hands, and he runs hard for such a small guy.
Louisville has to have a plan for Reid because Pitt has options on offense this year, which makes Reid the focus, but not the only guy you have to worry about. This allows Pitt to use him in different ways, and I expect them to try to get him on the edges of the defense in an effort to negate the pass rush. Reid on quick screens, slot routes, and outside runs makes the most sense to me, as you can try to spread out the Cards’ defense.
Reid was injured in the West Virginia game two weeks ago, and the Panthers couldn’t run the ball at all for the rest of the game. The depth at the position is limited, but Juelz Goff had a nice run where he showed good speed and elusiveness. If Reid is out or limited for the game, it would be a major factor in the outcome.
Pitt is about as deep at receiver as they have been in a good while. Kenny Johnson is the veteran of the group, and he has had a strong start to the season. Johnson is averaging 32 yards per kick return, where he has shown off his long speed and solid ability to make people miss. He is also the top outside option in the passing game, where his size comes into play.
Poppi Williams has been the focal point of the passing game so far this year. He is a slot receiver with big-time speed and quickness, and he is the guy whom Holstein looks for down the field. Williams has been able to hit big plays on slot fades, crossers, deep posts, and scramble drills. He is the most likely guy to have plays schemed for him to get him open down the field. The Cards haven’t been tested in the secondary, so this will be an interesting opportunity to show how they will handle a productive receiver.
Cards fans will be familiar with Blue Hicks, who transferred to Pitt this offseason. Hicks was a reserve for UofL, but he found a starting spot with the Panthers and has had a good start to the season. Hicks had two touchdowns in the season opener, and he has been targeted a handful of times since then. Pitt has also used him on jet sweeps and reverses, which is where I could see him being utilized this weekend. Bryce Yates and Zion Fowler-El are the other receivers I expect to see the ball on Saturday.
Pitt returned three starters on the offensive line this year, with the experience being on the right side of the line. That experience has not helped them so far this season. The Panthers have given up a lot of negative plays and sacks, with some of those plays being on Holstein when he holds the ball too long. However, the running lanes have not been great, and pressure has come from the edges and the interior, which has led to some of the issues from Holstein. While the line doesn’t look disjointed or out of sorts, they haven’t been effective, so the Cards could find an opportunity to take advantage of their poor play.
