On fall Saturdays in Pittsburgh, people don their blue and gold and either turn on their TV or make their way down to Acrisure Stadium to watch the Panthers take to the field for a college football matchup.
Sundays in the Steel City look a little different. The colors change to black and yellow, and the attention switches from Eli Holstein and Gavin Bartholomew to Russell Wilson and Pat Freiermuth.
In Pittsburgh, a city rooted in its love for football, some are lucky enough to watch their two favorite teams play at the same stadium on both Saturday and Sunday. Pitt students are already feeling a variety of emotions associated with the upcoming Pittsburgh Steelers season.
“I’m really excited,” junior Anna Jaworowski said. “I grew up a Steelers fan. My whole family loves watching Steeler football, so this time of year is always so fun.”
Sophomore Wyatt Fischer shared some of the factors he thinks will influence how this upcoming season plays out.
“I’m really hoping the Steelers can live up to expectations,” said Fischer. “I think a lot of that depends on what happens at quarterback — it’s probably going to determine the outcome of this current season.”
The Steelers acquired two new quarterbacks this season, former Broncos player Russell Wilson and former Bears player Justin Fields. A lot is left up for grabs as to who will maintain the position for the majority of the season. Junior Brandon Moretti weighed in on who he would like to see as the starter.
“I think, right now, it’s smarter to have Russell Wilson as our starter,” said Moretti. “I think Justin Fields has some time to sit behind a veteran quarterback and learn for a bit. He’s young, and it gives him an opportunity to get comfortable. Then, when he’s ready, he can come in and take over that spot.”
Given the changes this season, fans are eager to see this new and improved Steelers team go up against their opponents.
“I’m really looking forward to the game on Christmas against the Chiefs,” Jaworowski said. “It’s against the defending Super Bowl champs, but we also have the home field advantage on Christmas day. I think it’s going to be a great game.”
“I’m probably most excited for the game against the Ravens — I have tickets, so it will be cool to get to see a game in person,” said Fischer. “I also can’t wait for the game against the Eagles. We don’t get to play them very often, and I have a ton of friends here who are from Philly and are big Eagles fans, so it will be fun for us to go head to head.”
A winning season won’t come for the Steelers without some major improvements from last year, but with two new quarterback contenders and a fresh offensive coordinator, fans have a sliver of hope to hang on to.
“I think the keys to success this season are going to be not turning the ball over and to always play good Steeler defense,” said Fischer.
Moretti knows a lot of things will have to come together correctly, but remains hopeful.
“If everything falls in line and we can build an offense that can supplement our already dominant defense, then that’s a hard team to beat,” Moretti said.
The students have spoken and are ready for the season that lies ahead. The Steelers play their first game this Sunday in Atlanta as they take on the Falcons at 1 p.m. Catch the game on Fox and get ready for a new year of the black and yellow.