No. 18 Pitt plots bounce-back effort, welcomes Virginia

No. 18 Pittsburgh attempts to rebound from its first setback of the season when it hosts slumping Virginia in Atlantic Coast Conference action Saturday night.

The Panthers (7-1, 3-1 ACC) had managed to stay unbeaten longer than expected thanks to three wins by four or fewer points, but they got smacked by SMU last weekend in Dallas. The Mustangs scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter and rolled to a 48-25 win.

Eli Holstein did not throw a touchdown pass for the second time in three games and threw his fourth interception in four ACC games.

"He's a redshirt freshman. I think everybody forgets," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Monday. "When you win, Eli is going to be rookie of the week. When you lose, which obviously it's our first, it's not on Eli. We didn't protect him well enough, run the ball well enough. We played a really good (SMU) defense."

Holstein has 17 touchdown passes, tying Alex Van Pelt's 1989 record for TDs by a Pitt freshman. Running back Desmond Reid ranks fifth in the nation with 156.3 all-purpose yards per game. Linebacker Kyle Louis leads the defense with 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Up next: a Virginia team that got off to a 4-1 start and was starting to think about a bowl bid in coach Tony Elliott's third season. That dream has faded after allowing 99 points and 967 yards in its last two outings.

The visiting Cavaliers (4-4, 2-3) are coming off a bye week, trying to snap a three-game skid.

Finding two more wins to gain bowl eligibility is a tall order with three of their last four on the road and remaining games against Pitt, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 13 SMU and rival Virginia Tech -- teams with a combined 27-7 record.

Virginia's Anthony Colandrea has passed for 1,805 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Malachi Fields leads the team with 43 catches for 654 yards and four scores. Safety Jonas Sanker's team-high 64 tackles include an ACC-best 43 solo stops.

Colandrea has been sacked 24 times -- nine times in a 41-14 loss to North Carolina on Oct. 26 -- and faces a Pitt defense that ranks fifth in the ACC with 24 sacks.

"I thought he battled," Elliott said of Colandrea's effort (zero touchdowns, two interceptions) against the Tar Heels. "For him to have taken as many hits as he did, he just kept getting up and kept playing. I was proud of him because I didn't see him get flustered or frustrated. He just kept trying to battle through the adversity."

Pittsburgh has swept six of the last seven meetings, including a 37-7 win at Virginia in the most recent contest on Nov. 12, 2022.

Narduzzi believes his Panthers are ready to bounce back on Saturday night.

"I think young players are resilient nowadays -- more resilient than coaches are, I think. So you got to make sure your staff is as good as your players are, as far as wiping off and moving on," he said. "The good thing is they came in here with a serious attitude and don't want it to happen again."

--Field Level Media