Thoughts on the Game

[pittmeister]

*Holstein and Reid proved me wrong. I had my doubts whether they could step up, and be the players we were hoping for. Both were sensational. However, Holstein needs to be careful with the ball. He threw one interception and nearly had to more picked off.

*The offense will be fun to watch. It had balance and big play capabilities. It was so nice to feel confident when the ball is in the air that it will thrown accurately. Unfortunately the way the defense played at times, they’re going to need to score a lot of points this year. Speaking of defense….

*The defense looked a lot like last year’s version. There were many missed tackles, no pass rush in the first half and prone to give up the big plays in the secondary. The run defense looked spotty at times.

*Special teams looked improved, except the punting game. It was the same. Hopefully they won’t need to use the punter as much as last year.

* As everyone knows QB is everything in football. Pitt is in great shape with Holstein and Yarnell. Both can win for Pitt. Pitt may be better than anticipated by a lot of the pundits.

*As for coaching, Kade Bell is as good as advertised. The offense moved much better than I anticipated for the first game. Can they do that against better competition? We’ll see.

Overall, it was a good first game, but needs more work on the defense. Better competition is coming so they need to step up.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Making definitive comments either way after Kent state, makes me laugh.

A decent D1aa team boat races Kent state.

We will know what we have after playing real teams like cincy and wvu.

Take the win here and move on but we learned nothing today.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

There were positives and negatives. We’ll know where we stand after the next 2 games. Need to at least split them.

 

[greekpanther]

Kent was able to make plays in the passing game. Certainly concerning! Pitt played a lot of bodies today, especially on D

 

[Cmart2004]

Kent is so bad that it’s tough to say for sure, lol. Pretty much agree with the OP’s points. Good: QB play, RB play. Bad: overall defensive play and OL. That TD we gave up on special teams was a fluke. Also there were a bit too many penalties, shows a lack of discipline.

 

[gary2]

Kent is so bad that it’s tough to say for sure, lol. Pretty much agree with the OP’s points. Good: QB play, RB play. Bad: overall defensive play and OL. That TD we gave up on special teams was a fluke. Also there were a bit too many penalties, shows a lack of discipline.

Thought the officiating was ridiculous. They looked for things.

 

[NCPitt]

Making definitive comments either way after Kent state, makes me laugh.

A decent D1aa team boat races Kent state.

We will know what we have after playing real teams like cincy and wvu.

Take the win here and move on but we learned nothing today.

You didn't learn anything about Holstein?

 

[PittPanther44]

We learned…

Reid translates to any level.

Eli made great decisions with the ball. In command from the start. Good touch, but maybe relied on it a little too much. Will have to drive the ball in there more against better athletes.

 

[PittPanther44]

Kent is so bad that it’s tough to say for sure, lol. Pretty much agree with the OP’s points. Good: QB play, RB play. Bad: overall defensive play and OL. That TD we gave up on special teams was a fluke. Also there were a bit too many penalties, shows a lack of discipline.

Not sure how you can say the Oline was bad when the running game had some huge holes and the QB got to pick them apart. Not saying it was perfect…just not bad either.

 

[pittbb80]

For sure given that it was Kent state it’s hard to draw any firm conclusions However when was the last time the offense looked this crisp and effective against anyone ? Also Holstein showed very good pocket presence and made some excellent throws Bodes well for the future

Defense wasn’t dominant but they only gave up less than 40 yards rushing and less than 200 passing

The coaches got to see a ton of guys play. As well. Thats a good thing

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

You don't score 55 on a team while playing poorly.

Secondary, especially O'Brien, looked shaky. DT's were non-existent. Sincere Edwards will be a star.

 

[FireballZ]

*Holstein and Reid proved me wrong. I had my doubts whether they could step up, and be the players we were hoping for. Both were sensational. However, Holstein needs to be careful with the ball. He threw one interception and nearly had to more picked off.

*The offense will be fun to watch. It had balance and big play capabilities. It was so nice to feel confident when the ball is in the air that it will thrown accurately. Unfortunately the way the defense played at times, they’re going to need to score a lot of points this year. Speaking of defense….

*The defense looked a lot like last year’s version. There were many missed tackles, no pass rush in the first half and prone to give up the big plays in the secondary. The run defense looked spotty at times.

*Special teams looked improved, except the punting game. It was the same. Hopefully they won’t need to use the punter as much as last year.

* As everyone knows QB is everything in football. Pitt is in great shape with Holstein and Yarnell. Both can win for Pitt. Pitt may be better than anticipated by a lot of the pundits.

*As for coaching, Kade Bell is as good as advertised. The offense moved much better than I anticipated for the first game. Can they do that against better competition? We’ll see.

Overall, it was a good first game, but needs more work on the defense. Better competition is coming so they need to step up.

Surprisingly, Junko had two pretty good punts today, including fielding a high snap and getting off an important punt before half. I would take 11 more of those performances. Unless I missed something...

 

[PittPanther44]

Surprisingly, Junko had two pretty good punts today, including fielding a high snap and getting off an important punk before half. I would take 11 more of those performances. Unless I missed something...

I don’t remember punting, so that does say it was a pretty good day offensively 😂

Edit - I do remember the one before half now

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Kent was able to make plays in the passing game. Certainly concerning! Pitt played a lot of bodies today, especially on D

They play Tennessee and Penn State. I doubt they score on either.

 

[NCPitt]

They play Tennessee and Penn State. I doubt they score on either.

Should Holstein be moved to TE next week?

 

[rockypanther]

We learned…

Reid translates to any level.

Eli made great decisions with the ball. In command from the start. Good touch, but maybe relied on it a little too much. Will have to drive the ball in there more against better athletes.

No we didn’t yet. Let’s see how he is against our actual competition we have coming up. He was very good today but Kent state sucked on D.

 

[pittbb80]

*Holstein and Reid proved me wrong. I had my doubts whether they could step up, and be the players we were hoping for. Both were sensational. However, Holstein needs to be careful with the ball. He threw one interception and nearly had to more picked off.

*The offense will be fun to watch. It had balance and big play capabilities. It was so nice to feel confident when the ball is in the air that it will thrown accurately. Unfortunately the way the defense played at times, they’re going to need to score a lot of points this year. Speaking of defense….

*The defense looked a lot like last year’s version. There were many missed tackles, no pass rush in the first half and prone to give up the big plays in the secondary. The run defense looked spotty at times.

*Special teams looked improved, except the punting game. It was the same. Hopefully they won’t need to use the punter as much as last year.

* As everyone knows QB is everything in football. Pitt is in great shape with Holstein and Yarnell. Both can win for Pitt. Pitt may be better than anticipated by a lot of the pundits.

*As for coaching, Kade Bell is as good as advertised. The offense moved much better than I anticipated for the first game. Can they do that against better competition? We’ll see.

Overall, it was a good first game, but needs more work on the defense. Better competition is coming so they need to step up.

Lol. Juno punted twice and averaged 45 yards and had a nice punt under pressure I sometimes wonder if some of you are watching the same game.

 

[pittbb80]

No we didn’t yet. Let’s see how he is against our actual competition we have coming up. He was very good today but Kent state sucked on D.

Name the last time a Pitt offense played that well against anyone. Yes Kent state isnt very good but there’s reason to be optimistic about this team. The scheme is clearly better and Holstein made some excellent throws and showed really good pocket presence. There’s reason for some optimism

 

[Burgh15]

Transitioning to a new offense, especially with a new QB, is tough and Pitt made it look pretty easy today. The offense was a lot of fun to watch and very productive. Such a difference from last year. Holstein looked like he had experience in this season. Will it translate against tougher competition? Who knows, but a very good start.

Kade Bell had his offensive stars look like stars. Johnson was maybe the best player on the field and made some very nice catches. Bartholomew got his targets and made the most of them. Even with a couple of miscues, Mumpfield had a TD. I was also impressed how they targeted Lee over and over and over at one point.

The defense held Kent St. in check in terms of yardage. A couple of breakdowns a long, sustained drives were a bit disappointing. I saw the sacks and TFLs, it just didn't feel like they owned the line of scrimmage. Then again, we've been spoiled with some insane DLs over the years.

 

[pittmeister]

Making definitive comments either way after Kent state, makes me laugh.

A decent D1aa team boat races Kent state.

We will know what we have after playing real teams like cincy and wvu.

Take the win here and move on but we learned nothing today.

Well prepare to laugh it up!

*That was the best executed offense that I have seen since the days of Kenny Pickett, regardless of the opposition. How many procedure penalties did Pitt have in the game? One? How many delay of games? How many time outs did Pitt have to call because the offense was in disarray?

* Holstein & Yarnell is better than Jurkovec, Slovis, and Veilleux, by a mile....

Yes, let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks when the competition is a little better.

 

[pittmeister]

Lol. Juno punted twice and averaged 45 yards and had a nice punt under pressure I sometimes wonder if some of you are watching the same game.

LOL! You'll be the first to scream the next time Junko shanks a punt in a big situation. Today he shanked one punt and nearly had another almost blocked (which did turn out to be a good punt).

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Should Holstein be moved to TE next week?

Dude has got a long way to go. I'm hopeful for him, but anyone boasting about him already is a fool. It's the same idiots every time. Last year it was Veilleux.

 

[Pitt666]

You don't score 55 on a team while playing poorly.

Secondary, especially O'Brien, looked shaky. DT's were non-existent. Sincere Edwards will be a star.

This. You do against FBS, like Delaware. In the last 20 years….the only other time Pitt had put up 55 in an opener of D1 was 2021 (Pickett vs Umass). But even against FBS and other D1, Pitt has struggled mightily or “held back” in openers. The schedule is very favorable. Clean up mistakes and enjoy the ride.

 

[dharsh]

I didn’t see the game. Went to the Great Allentown Fair and a new bar. Sounds like a mixed bag. God or bad we should not make any big decisions after Kent state. Only time will tell. But that’s not the point of these boards.

 

[Burgh15]

Dude has got a long way to go. I'm hopeful for him, but anyone boasting about him already is a fool. It's the same idiots every time. Last year it was Veilleux.

Dude just put up 330 and should have had 4 TDs in his first game. It was the best quarterbacking performance at Pitt since Pickett. He way exceeded my expectations even against a bad team. We can be happy with this performance.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

Every offensive stat today was followed by the announcers saying, "For the first time since 2021...".

 

[AllegeneeGenacGenac]

I didn’t see the game. Went to the Great Allentown Fair and a new bar. Sounds like a mixed bag. God or bad we should not make any big decisions after Kent state. Only time will tell. But that’s not the point of these boards.

We could have definitely made some big decisions on the bad side if this game went a different way than it did. I'm glad that's not the case.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Dude just put up 330 and should have had 4 TDs in his first game. It was the best quarterbacking performance at Pitt since Pickett. He way exceeded my expectations even against a bad team. We can be happy with this performance.

We'll see. I don't think enough people appreciate how bad Kent State is.

Max Browne against Rice:

28/32. 410 yards. 4 touchdowns.

Maybe Holstein is the next John Elway. I just need to see a lot more.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

That was the fifth game of the season.

We barely beat Youngstown State in OT that year.

 

[Pitt666]

We'll see. I don't think enough people appreciate how bad Kent State is.

Max Browne against Rice:

28/32. 410 yards. 4 touchdowns.

Maybe Holstein is the next John Elway. I just need to see a lot more.

The same Max Browne that went 17/24 for 140 in a 28-21 win over YSU in the 2017 opener? That guy? He improved by week 4. That means Rothstien will put up 500 on WVU. I believe in Eli.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

The debut of this high speed offense sure was a lot better than the left lane hammer down version. The draw play to Reid was a thing of beauty.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

A decent D1aa team boat races Kent state.

Kent State will be the worst team we play this season.

Yeah, worse than Youngstown State.

 

[pittbb80]

LOL! You'll be the first to scream the next time Junko shanks a punt in a big situation. Today he shanked one punt and nearly had another almost blocked (which did turn out to be a good punt).

A 45 yard shank. Just pointing out the facts. He didn’t punt poorly today

 

[Steeltheone]

Name the last time a Pitt offense played that well against anyone. Yes Kent state isnt very good but there’s reason to be optimistic about this team. The scheme is clearly better and Holstein made some excellent throws and showed really good pocket presence. There’s reason for some optimism

Exactly...They looked well coached!!

 

[pittbb80]

Dude has got a long way to go. I'm hopeful for him, but anyone boasting about him already is a fool. It's the same idiots every time. Last year it was Veilleux.

Whose boasting. He showed some things pretty good QBs do. He had good pocket presence. Was decisive in his throws and made some outstanding throws. The dime he dropped to Johnson was something we haven’t seen. Sure it was against Kent and sure he has to continue to improve. But for the first game the kids played at this level it was a great start.

Again. Name the last time a Pitt qb played that well in his first college start

 

[BFo8]

Kent State will be the worst team we play this season.

Yeah, worse than Youngstown State.

FTR Kent St was outscored 137-22 in its non conference games last year against 3 teams (UCF, Arkansas, Fresno St) that weren’t all that good. They were quite probably the worst team in the entire FBS. I know hope springs eternal but there’s very little reason for them to be any more optimistic about this year.

That being said they were the perfect opener for a team with a QB making his first start and trying to integrate a new offensive system. Had they played a mediocre type MAC team the outcome could’ve been quite a bit different. Hopefully they can clean up some of the mistakes and improve against a Cincinnati team in what looks like a winnable game.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Whose boasting. He showed some things pretty good QBs do. He had good pocket presence. Was decisive in his throws and made some outstanding throws. The dime he dropped to Johnson was something we haven’t seen. Sure it was against Kent and sure he has to continue to improve. But for the first game the kids played at this level it was a great start.

Again. Name the last time a Pitt qb played that well in his first college start

Pickett beating the #2 team in the country was more impressive, regardless of the stat line.

So let's think of which other Pitt quarterbacks have made their first college start since then...

Nick Patti
Nate Yarnell

Pretty sure that's the list.

So, yeah... Eli Holstein vs Kent State was better than Nick Patti against Delaware and Nate Yarnell against Westsrn Michigan. We agree. Add Yellen vs Miami if he didn't start a game at ASU (I can't recall if he did or not).

 

[pittbb80]

Pickett beating the #2 team in the country was more impressive, regardless of the stat line.

So let's think of which other Pitt quarterbacks have made their first college start since then...

Nick Patti
Nate Yarnell

Pretty sure that's the list.

Picket didn’t do much that game And it took him a while to have a game as good as this against any team.

And go back way before Picket. Again regardless of competition the kid had a good showing for his first game. Not saying he’s a sure fire great qb but he showed enough to be optimistic about his future.

 

[forbesfield]

Kent State is really, really bad. I doubt we anticipated that when scheduling them a decade ago, but this is a bad team. That said, nothing wrong with playing a bad team during week one.

I do not understand why WVU elected to play PSU on week one. That was dumb.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Picket didn’t do much that game And it took him a while to have a game as good as this against any team.

And go back way before Picket. Again regardless of competition the kid had a good showing for his first game. Not saying he’s a sure fire great qb but he showed enough to be optimistic about his future.

I'm not in disagreement. He showed that he has some raw materials to work with. Needs to get better, but he's got some tools. Threw the ball better than I expected. It will be interesting to see how he develops.