Pittsburg, PA
Holstein helps Pitt thump Youngstown State, 73-17
Eli Holstein threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as Pittsburgh blasted Youngstown State 73-17 on Saturday.
Pitt is 4-0 for the first time since 2000 and also the first time the Panthers have put up 70 or more points since scoring 77 against New Hampshire in 2021. Pitt’s 644 yards of total offense is tied for fifth-most in school history. The Panthers, one of the nation’s early-season surprises, are coming off a 3-9 mark a year ago.
Holstein, a redshirt freshman transfer from Alabama, has helped the Panthers to this point. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 93 yards and two scores. It was the most yards rushing for a Pitt quarterback since Chad Voytik ran for 118 yards in 2014.
Nate Yarnell threw a touchdown pass to Daniel Carter, who also rushed for 109 yards and two scores. Censere Lee caught an 82-yard touchdown pass, Raphael Williams Jr. had four receptions for 71 yards and a score, and Kenny Johnson also added a touchdown catch.
Beau Brungard completed 18 of 28 passes for two touchdowns and an interception for Youngstown State (1-3), one of the nation’s most successful Football Championship Subdivision programs. Cyrus Traugh caught four passes for 87 yards and two scores.
Pitt overcame double-digit second-half deficits in each of the last two weeks. The Panthers rallied from 21 down in the third quarter to stun Cincinnati and then scored 14 points in the final 3:15 to surge past West Virginia in the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
A comeback wasn’t necessary against Youngstown State, a team that has played Pitt close in the past.
Pitt scored on its first six possessions. The Panthers put up 42 points in 9:38 and outgained Youngstown State by a 370-122 margin during that span.
This was just the sixth meeting between the teams, which are separated by 70 miles. The three previous games turned into two difficult wins and an embarrassing loss for Pitt. Youngstown State upset Pitt in the 2012 season opener. The Penguins tested the Panthers again in 2015 – a 45-37 Pitt win – and 2017 when Pitt scored a 28-21 overtime win.
Holstein and the Panthers put Youngstown State away early.
Holstein rushed for 32 yards and later threw a touchdown on Pitt’s first possession. He capped the 11-play, 75-yard series with a six-yard pass to Williams Jr. in the flat.
Pitt started its second possession on the Youngstown State 42. Carter broke free for a 24-yard touchdown run two plays later.
On Pitt’s next series, Derrick Davis Jr. converted a fourth-and-1 at midfield, allowing Holstein to complete a 35-yard pass to Williams. Holstein later ended the series with a two-yard touchdown run.
Back-to-back big gains by Williams and Jake Overman on Pitt’s next possession moved the Panthers to the Youngstown State 9. Holstein later threw his second touchdown pass, this one to Johnson, from two yards away.
A Kyle Lewis interception set up Carter’s second career-long run of the game, this one a 43-yard touchdown as Pitt opened a 35-3 lead.
Holstein answered a Youngstown State touchdown with an 82-yard strike to Lee along the sideline. It was Pitt’s longest touchdown pass since a 96-yarder from Kenny Pickett to Maurice Ffrench against Eastern Michigan during the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi’s father Bill was a head coach at Youngstown State from 1974-85. Narduzzi was a freshman linebacker for his father in 1985 before transferring to Rhode Island.
Youngstown State: The Penguins weren’t able to replicate their previous success against Pitt and lost for the second time in as many weeks.
Pitt: Holstein and the Panthers quickly took care of business against Youngstown State. Pitt gets a week off before opening ACC play with a chance to go 5-0 for the first time since 1991.
UP NEXT
Youngstown State: Visits Missouri State on Saturday.
Pitt: Opens ACC play at North Carolina on Oct. 5.
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Pittsburg, PA
Flight heading to New York from Chicago diverts to Pittsburgh for a
A United flight traveling from Chicago to New York City diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday afternoon for what was described as a “reported threat.”
According to information provided by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and FBI Pittsburgh, United Flight 2092 diverted to Pittsburgh and landed safely.
The passengers have deplaned safely, and no injuries have been reported.
“The plane was diverted and landed at Pittsburgh International Airport,” FBI Pittsburgh said in a statement provided to KDKA-TV. “All passengers and crew safely evacuated the aircraft. FBI Special Agent Bomb Techs and Special Agents are on the ground coordinating with local authorities.”
The airport authority has said that law enforcement is on the scene and investigating.
This is a developing story, and will be updated.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh’s 2026 Draft Short List – The Team’s Eight Most Likely First-Round Selections
The NFL Draft is always unpredictable and under a new head coach, it’s fuzzier than any time in recent memory to guess who the Pittsburgh Steelers will select in the first round. But if history continues predicting the future, it’ll be one of the eight below names.
Every year since at least 2010, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick has fallen into one of two camps: either the player came in for a pre-draft visit or a decision maker, head coach or general manager, attended that prospect’s pro day.
So let’s assume that holds true even though we know it may not. Under those criteria, there are eight names that fit. Let’s break them down into the two buckets.
Pre-Draft Visit
WR Denzel Boston/Washington
WR Makai Lemon/USC
OT Spencer Fano/Utah
OG Vega Ioane/Penn State
CB Chris Johnson/CB San Diego State
S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren/Toledo
Pro Day Attendance
OT Monroe Freeling/Georgia
ILB CJ Allen/Georgia
Could you stretch it to more? I suppose. Texas Tech ILB Jacob Rodriguez could be argued in the first round. Ditto with Georgia Tech OG Keylan Rutledge and Arizona DB Treydan Stukes. But those feel far less likely to be taken on Day 1, let alone at No. 21.
Mike McCarthy and Omar Khan attended only the Bulldogs’ Pro Day this year, an unusually low number of workouts compared to the past. McCarthy told reporters he planned to attend six but only made it to Georgia. That leaves just two names from that bucket, and Freeling could easily be off the board by the time Pittsburgh picks. He may be on Cleveland’s radar.
Of the eight, who is most likely? That opinion can and will vary. Receiver and offensive line have been specific areas of focus, but there’s no telling how the board will fall. I’ll have my final mock draft Tuesday with my answer.
If the Steelers’ pick isn’t one of these eight, it’ll break a longstanding tradition. And in future years, open up the field of how the team could take at the top.
Pittsburg, PA
A who’s who of Western Pa. football will be announcing picks at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
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