Pitt football kicks off 2024-2025 against Kent State

Every year fans are gifted a few signs that football is right around the corner. The temperature starts to drop, the sun tucks in for the night earlier than it once did and Pitt football head coach Pat Narduzzi ignites yearly excitement in a success-hungry student body at convocation. 

The Panthers love to start their seasons with fans by their side, and 2024 is the 13th straight season Pitt’s season-opener is at home in Pittsburgh. Lucky for the Panther faithful, Pitt has only lost three times in that span, with two of the losses in the first two years of the streak.

While it is common for a high-major football team to start their season against a presumably inferior opponent, Pitt only sometimes fits that mold. Only two seasons ago, the Panthers started their year off with a win in the return of the Backyard Brawl.

Last season, however, the Panthers opened their season against an outmatched Wofford from the FCS. In the opener, the Panthers routed the Terriers 45-7. 

For the first game following the worst record Pitt football has produced since 1998, Kent State is the optimal opponent. Kent State ranked dead last in scoring offense with 14.7 points per game while allowing 34.6 points per game on defense, ranking 12th-worst in the FBS.

“I think our team is excited to hit somebody else,” said Narduzzi in Monday’s press conference. 

While Pitt’s 3-9 record last season was considered one of the “most disappointing teams in college football,” Kent State finished last season with a 1-11 record — the worst in the FBS.

All signs point to a “get-right” game for the Panthers. Even though the Panthers ranked 18th-worst with 20.2 points per game on offense, the dark times may be over under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell. 

The Panthers are still figuring out the starters for their matchup against the Golden Flashes. The starting quarterback position has been the talk of the Panthers pre-season. 

The quarterback competition has been narrowed down to redshirt junior Nate Yarnell and redshirt first-year Eli Holstein, who transferred from Alabama in the winter. Yarnell, a name on the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watchlist, has shown flashes in his limited appearances, especially in his two starts against Boston College and Duke last season. 

John Madden once said, “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.” Narduzzi disagrees.

In the most recent reveal of the Panthers’ depth chart, the keyword “OR” is pasted in several key positions, including quarterback. 

“The plan right now is to play both those guys on Saturday and let the competition begin on the field,” Narduzzi said. However, it was announced Thursday afternoon that Holstein will command the first offensive drive for the Panthers.

Of course, the main priority is leaving Acrisure Stadium with a win. A rare season-opening loss for the Panthers to arguably the worst team in the FBS last season would not bode well.

The Panthers enter the season’s first game as 23.5-point favorites and are -2500 to leave with a win.

If last season showed the blue and gold anything, a week one triumph does not leave a lasting impression on a team and fanbase that will do anything for success. A victory, even a blowout, has shown Pitt faithful there are no guarantees and there are no assumptions.

Pitt hosts Kent State on August 31 at noon at Acrisure Stadium. Fans can watch on ESPNU.