Stargazing Pitt football is ranked and sailing at full tilt

Pitt football is sailing into uncharted territory under head coach Pat Narduzzi. The Panthers are 5-0 for the first time since 1991 after defeating North Carolina this past weekend. Despite being in new waters, all Pitt has to do is look up to its stars to guide it towards greatness.

Junior running back Desmond Reid has arguably shined the brightest on the team, if not the country. The Western Carolina transfer has the second-most all-purpose yards in the country and the second-most receiving yards by a running back despite not playing against Youngstown State.

Reid is a one-man wrecking crew, and North Carolina was knocked down. The junior running back had 18 carries for 55 yards on the ground, 11 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown through the air, totaling a staggering 29 touches and 210 all-purpose yards.

“[North Carolina] was worried about Reid out of the backfield making plays because it’s what he does,” redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein said of how Reid affects defenses. “We noticed [North Carolina] played a lot of cover one, and it’s hard to guard Reid one-on-one. I don’t care who you are, it’s hard to guard that guy. [Reid] can make plays for us.”

But Reid isn’t shouldering the weight alone — Holstein is right next to him. The Alabama transfer has the 12th-most passing yards and fifth-most passing touchdowns in the country, and along with Reid is slowly building a Heisman-worthy case. Against North Carolina, Holstein threw the most yards by a first-year in Pitt history with 381 and became the first Pitt quarterback since Dan Marino to win his first five starts. 

“[Holstein’s] a competitor. Nothing fazes him,” Narduzzi said of Holstein’s performance. “Some quarterbacks hesitate, but that guy didn’t hesitate. He made play after play, whether with his feet or his arm. It’s a great performance and what he’s done all year, so it’s expected now.”

On top of setting records against North Carolina, Holstein was also Pitt’s leading rusher with 76 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

While Pitt’s defense has a reputation of a strong defensive line, this season the linebackers have shined the brightest on the defense. When fans might feel nervous and a Pitt win looks uncertain, they can count on redshirt sophomore linebacker Kyle Louis to make a game-changing play.

North Carolina went for it on fourth down six times against Pitt and only converted twice. Two of Pitt’s four fourth-down stops came thanks to Louis. The East Orange, New Jersey, native tackled the opposing running back on fourth-and-short early in the game and sacked North Carolina graduate student quarterback Jacolby Criswell to seal the win for the Panthers — the only sack by a Panther in the last two games.

“They were getting desperate,” Louis said on North Carolina’s fourth down attempt. “I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know it was fourth down. [North Carolina] has an up-tempo offense and I thought it was third down. But they called my name. It was a blitz call for me to stunt with the D-end. The D-end forced him to roll out and then I chased him down. No quarterback is going outside of me. I made the play. Everything fell into place.”

The mantra for the undefeated Panthers is underselling their record. They aren’t 5-0 in their minds. In the words of everyone who spoke after beating North Carolina, “We’re 1-0.” Each week is another chance to put a win on the board and past achievements aren’t celebrated for long.

“Every Monday, we’re 0-0,” Louis said after beating North Carolina.

As one of 12 undefeated teams, Pitt is carrying precious cargo — the Panthers are ranked No. 22 in the country, their first ranking since finishing No. 22 at the end of the 2022 season.

“We’re on to the next,” Narduzzi said. “We’ll enjoy this for the evening and then tomorrow morning get back to work. It doesn’t really matter. Each game is important. We got a really good Cal team coming in here.”

The Panthers are sailing into the great unknown, but the stars could guide Pitt to the ACC Championship or the College Football Playoff, where the water gets deeper and the waves get choppier.