Pitt football’s new faces lead the Panthers in dominant win over Kent State

Redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein said after his collegiate debut that Pitt football’s new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, “takes the red zone personally.”

Bell’s offense looked efficient when in scoring distance, as the Panthers went five for six in the red zone. The Panthers scored a total of six touchdowns on the day in their 55-24 win against Kent State —the most since last season’s opener against Wofford. The Panthers recorded 560 yards of total offense — a significant improvement from last season when Pitt never eclipsed 500 yards. The 500-yard mark is not a shock to Bell, as his offense at his former job in Western Carolina averaged 504.1 yards per game.

Less than 24 hours before Pitt’s opening kickoff, senior running back Rodney Hammond Jr. was announced as ineligible for the season. That meant junior running back Desmond Reid, who came to Pittsburgh from Western Carolina with Bell, had a lot more playing time than expected.

Pitt fans learned today that, when Reid sees open grass, opposing defenses are in trouble. Reid only needed 14 carries to record 145 yards and a touchdown.  The Western Carolina transfer also added a 78-yard punt return touchdown less than five minutes into the game.

Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi said earlier this week that Reid is an explosive player. After the win, Narduzzi was happy everybody saw what he had seen.

“He’s an Eveready battery. He just goes,” Narduzzi said about Reid. “Even the punt return. We had our base defense on the field. We were in punt safe. We were keeping our base defense on the field.”

Even in a “punt safe” formation, Reid absorbed a huge hit and broke off the first Pitt punt return touchdown since M.J. Devonshire returned one for 82 yards against Rhode Island in 2022.

“This is a normal day for Desmond Reid,” Holstein said. “He’s had some better days in practice, honestly.”

Reid’ followed up his breakout punt return with a 46-yard run up the middle in the third quarter, which extended Pitt’s lead to 35-21.

The new-look Panthers also witnessed a reputable debut from Holstein that ranks among the top Pitt quarterback performances in the last two years. Holstein’s 336 passing yards are the second most for a Pitt redshirt first-year player only behind Alex Van Pelt’s 354 passing yards against WVU in 1989.

Holstein was battling for the starting job against redshirt junior quarterback  Nate Yarnell since transferring from Alabama in January. Holstein was told he would take the Panthers’ first snap of the season only 48 hours before kickoff, and despite splitting reps and having only two days as the defined starter, Holstein connected with eight different pass-catchers.

“[Holstein] was sharp,” Narduzzi said. “If things didn’t look sharp early, we’d probably have pulled [Holstein] earlier to see what [Yarnell] had.”

To start the game, Holstein was more than sharp. Holstein was six for six with 91 passing yards on the Panthers’ first possession and finished it with a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Konata Mumpfield. Mumpfield finished the game with five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Although Holstein showed a clear connection with several receivers, Holstein and the Panthers profited the most from the redshirt first-year’s connection with sophomore wide receiver Kenny Johnson. On the Panthers’ first possession of the game, the York, PA native toe-tapped his foot on the one-yard line to catch Holstein’s fifth career pass for a 46-yard gain, setting up Pitt’s first touchdown. Johnson finished his night with seven catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

An offensive performance like the one the Panthers created against Kent State was a rare sight to the weather-resistant student section, as the last two seasons were disappointing on that side of the ball. But Bell’s system and the new faces executing it were such a bright spot that it forced the mid-game rain away.

But Pitt’s first victory of the season was not all sunshine and rainbows. Each of the Panthers that spoke post-game stressed that there was, “a lot to clean up.”

In the third quarter especially, the Panthers’ defense did not meet what Narduzzi expected of his team.

“I don’t know what they came out in the second half as, but I’ll get on the defensive coaches,” Narduzzi said. “It starts with us as coaches. [We have to] make sure [the players’] minds are right, and they don’t think the game’s easy and it’s in the bag.”

In the first half, the Panthers forced a three-and-out on every Kent State drive except one, where the Golden Flashes converted three first downs and scored on a 36-yard touchdown pass. In the second half, Kent State had four drives with nine plays or more, including two scoring drives.

“We all have to make improvements, especially us on the defense,” sixth-year linebacker Brandon George said. “But, we were definitely feeding off the offense’s energy.”

The Panthers allowed 39 yards rushing, but to George, that is not good enough.

“Zero yards rushing,” George said on opposing teams’ rushing totals. “That’s how aggressive we want to be as a defense.

A notable theme from Narduzzi in the week of practice before the Panthers’ first game was not making assumptions. Despite comfortably winning, the Panthers and Bell assume nothing from their 55-point offensive performance.

“The great thing about [Bell], he’s in the locker room all mad because he felt like he left three touchdowns out there,” Narduzzi said.

The Panthers face a greater challenge with rivals Cincinnati and West Virginia over the next two weeks. That means the blue and gold faithful must wait and see what the new-look, new-pace Panthers can really do.

Pitt fans can watch the Panthers clash against the Bearcats next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2.