Weekly Pitt Football Column | Money Mason

It turns out there’s a bit of a history of third-string quarterbacks named Mason rising to the occasion in this town. 

In 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers were floundering at 7-7. Their starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, was struggling and injured, and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky was a disaster under center. Frazzled, out of options and with his back against the wall, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin turned to Mason Rudolph, and the understudy put on a heck of a show. 

Two years later, on that very same field, a similar situation played out. After Pitt football started 2-0, they were dealt back-to-back blows with a tough loss in the Backyard Brawl and multiple blown leads at home against Louisville. Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi, obviously feeling the heat, turned to true first-year quarterback Mason Heintschel. 

The great coincidence in all of this? Heintschel was the first true first-year quarterback the team has started since Pickett, back in 2017. 

The move to bench redshirt sophomore Eli Holstein in favor of Heintschel came as a bit of a surprise. Last week, with Pitt trailing late, Narduzzi sat Holstein and sent out senior backup quarterback Cole Gonzales for the final two drives. The coach said he was “looking for a spark” by making a change at quarterback, but that spark didn’t take against the Cardinals. 

Going to Heintschel was a risky move by Narduzzi. Sure, the 18-year-old quarterback had a great spring game and a good resume coming out of high school, but he had a career four pass attempts to his name in college. 

Holstein, Narduzzi’s starter since the beginning of last year, had amassed 12 total touchdowns, a 63.2% completion percentage and averaged 262.5 passing yards per game. 

But the turnover issue proved costly. Pitt’s loss to Louisville continued a concerning trend for Holstein, who was picked off in each of his four starts to open the year. Last week also marked Holstein’s first multiple-interception game, where he threw his third pick within the opposing two-yard line.

Still, it’s the kind of decision that a coach who knows his back is against the wall makes. Heintschel made sure it paid off. 

In his first career start, Heintschel went 30 of 41 for 323 passing yards, four touchdowns and a 171.5 rating. Junior wide receiver Kenny Johnson was Heintschel’s favorite target, nabbing nine catches for 115 yards, but he did a tremendous job of sharing the wealth in this one. Heintschel hit 11 different receivers — all but one of his connections had multiple catches, and each passing touchdown went to a different option. 

He looked like anything but a first-year quarterback making his first-ever start. The poise, the demeanor and the decision-making all looked reminiscent of a senior at the helm. He knew when to take off, he knew when to fire it downfield and he had all the grit he needed. But perhaps his two best throws were the ones that ultimately didn’t count. 

The coaching staff showed a great amount of trust in Heintschel right away. On a fourth and 11 play near midfield in the first quarter, Narduzzi and Bell kept the offense out there and trusted him to execute — and he did. 

Heintschel was also aided by his teammates in the running game. First-year running back Ja’Kyrian Turner rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries — an impressive 5.6 average that followed up his six-yard average last week. 

Fellow first-year rusher Juelz Goff added another 59 yards on 17 carries. They combined for 60 yards through the air as well, and both players tallied a touchdown in the absence of senior running back Desmond Reid. 

Heintschel’s performance did more than just boost his own stock, though. It provided a massive shock to a Pitt season that needed it. 

Not a ton of people circle Pitt versus Boston College on their calendars, but after the Louisville loss, I wrote that a game against the Eagles looked like a do or die for the Panthers’ season. 

This was exactly the response they needed. Both sides of the ball looked energized and ready to go, and with the offense dominating the time-of-possession game, Pitt’s defense stayed fresh and thwarted pretty much any Eagle attack. Pitt forced three turnovers as well, giving Heintschel and his unit ample opportunity. 

Yes, Boston College was dealing with some very important defensive injuries. Yes, the Eagles were not the toughest of competition the ACC has to offer. But so much of Heintschel’s play just looked smooth and professional. Even if there are asterisks, you still have to feel pretty good about what you saw from him on Saturday. 

Narduzzi even leaned into some of the Pickett comparisons in his postgame presser. 

“Last time we went with a starting freshman quarterback, it was the last game of the season and we beat No. 2 Miami, and it was Kenny Pickett,” Narduzzi said. “I think [Heintschel]’s got that kind of ability. [But] one game doesn’t define you, so he’s got a lot of work to do.” 

He’s right. One game does not define you, but a big test like next week sure goes a long way. And talk about a tough test for the young gun. 

Heintschel and the Panthers will depart the friendly home of Acrisure Stadium for a hostile environment down in Tallahassee against a Florida State team that ranked as high as No. 18 so far this year. 

However, after starting 3-0, they’ve lost two straight games — an upset loss to Virginia that incited one of the craziest field rushes you’ll ever see and a comeback that came up just short against Miami. 

Now, you can look at this two ways. Either the Panthers will play a really vulnerable team or a really angry one. At any rate, though, it’s no easy task for a first-year quarterback making his second-ever start. 

As for Holstein, I don’t think this is the complete end for him. At his best, he has plenty of strengths that you want in a quarterback, and I wouldn’t blame him for wanting more of a shot to showcase what he is capable of. 

However, whether his college career continues at Pitt beyond this year is something I am far less certain about. For him, it’s just a matter of limiting the mistakes, which you obviously can’t see him work on if he doesn’t take the field. 

But for now, Heintschel is the moment. Take it all in, man. You’ve earned it.