JUST IN: Pittsburgh Quarterback “Eli Holstein” Exits Game Due To Injury.

Pitt Panthers redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein departed from the game against Syracuse due to an injury and went to the locker room in the fourth quarter in Pittsburgh.

Holstein gained 13 yards on a quarterback keeper and sprinted out of bounds forcefully following a tackle by Orange’s redshirt junior safety, Duce Chestnut. He entered the first aid tent and then exited and entered the locker room.

Redshirt junior quarterback Nate Yarnell replaced Holstein and will continue as the quarterback for the remainder of the game.

He threw 11 out of 15 passes for 108 yards against Syracuse, which included a 20-yard touchdown to junior wide receiver Censere “C.J.” Lee threw a 29-yard pass to wide receiver Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr. in the second quarter and again in the fourth quarter before leaving the game.

Holstein switched schools to Pitt from Alabama during the offseason. He has excelled under the new offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s system and has transformed the team’s offensive approach.

Holstein had a completion rate of 63.5%, connecting on 127 out of 200 passes for 1700 yards and 15 touchdowns with five interceptions before this game. Additionally, he ran the ball 56 times for a total of 266 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and scoring three touchdowns.

He has been named ACC Rookie of the Week five times, received Davey O’Brien Award Weekly honors twice, and received Walter Camp Award Weekly honors once.

Holstein was influential in come-from-behind victories in consecutive games against Power Four rivals. He orchestrated three touchdown drives and the final drive that resulted in the game-winning field goal against Cincinnati on the road in Week 2, when Pittsburgh was trailing 27-6 in the fourth quarter.

He also orchestrated two scoring drives towards the end against rival West Virginia in Week 3 at Acrisure Stadium, rallying from a 10-point deficit with five minutes left, and securing a 38-34 victory.

Holstein delivered another impressive performance in the 34-24 victory against North Carolina while playing away on Oct. 5. He threw 25 out of 42 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns to one interception, and also rushed 10 times for 76 yards and one touchdown, totaling four scores in the win while leading Pitt.

The new record of 381 passing yards by a Pitt freshman quarterback in a game surpasses Alex Van Pelt’s 366 passing yards against West Virginia during a tied game in Morgantown on Sept. 30, 1989.

The only time he faced difficulty was in the game against Cal, where he completed just 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions.

Pitt is optimistic that Holstein’s injury is not severe and that he can play in their game against No. 22 SMU in Dallas on Nov. 2.