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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Pittsburgh voted best Fourth of July celebration in America
In 2026, Pittsburgh gets the bragging rights for the nation’s Best Fourth of July Celebration, as determined by voters in USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
Pittsburgh has long been known for its connections to horror films starting with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968.
Now, in honor of that designation and the legacy of Romero, who died in 2016, the Pittsburgh Film Festival has announced it is introducing a new award this year.
The inaugural Romero Awardfor Best Horror Feature will be presented at the 45th annual Three Rivers Film Festival, scheduled to run from Nov. 4-15, according to the group’s website. Presented with support from the George A. Romero Foundation, the award will be selected by a panel of industry judges.
Named in honor of Romero, the award celebrates bold, visionary work in the horror genre. As the birthplace of Night of the Living Dead, Pittsburgh remains a vital home for horror storytelling, making the Romero Award a natural addition to the festival’s juried honors, the group said.
“The GARF is devoted to preserving Romero’s legacy and continues to support creatives and independent filmmaking in genres and horror spaces,” Suzanne Romero, George’s widow and founder and president of the George A. Romero Foundation, said recently. She died June 24 at her home in Toronto after a long illness.
Film Pittsburgh’s executive director, Shanna Carrick, added, “We are proud to partner with the GARF to introduce an international competition for best independent horror film. Pittsburgh has a deep love of horror films and we believe that our audiences will be thrilled to experience new voices in the genre.”
The festival is currently accepting submissions, with the full lineup to be announced in October.
The festival will also continue to celebrate its horror offerings with its beloved Chiller Theater, named in honor of the late Pittsburgh horror show host Chilly Billy Cardille. The spooky showcase features the best new independent horror shorts from around the globe and Allegheny County.
The Cincinnati Reds are in a rain delay for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s rain delay came before the game even started. Sunday’s rain delay occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning.
“The tarp is on the field, and we are in a delay here at PNC,” the Pirates official account posted on X. “We’ll update when we have info.”
Update: The grounds crew is taking the tarp off the field and the game is expected to resume around 5:20 ET.
The Pittsburgh Pirates lead the Reds 5-4 in the 8th.
Let’s take a look at how we got there.
Game Recap
In the second inning, Esmerlyn Valdez hit a ground-rule double off Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer that scored Nick Gonzalez, giving the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, former Red Tyler Callihan hit his third home run of the year, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.
However, in the fourth, the Reds would battle back. After Elly De La Cruz reached on an error and Sal Stewart singled, JJ Bleday added a single of his own that would score both, making it a 4-2 Pittsburgh advantage.
The Reds continued to rally in the fifth. After Noelvi Marte walked, Tyler Stephenson stayed hot with an RBI double to left field, getting the Reds back within a run.
Edwin Arroyo followed with an RBI single of his own that tied the game at 4.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom half of the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn hit his 12th home run of the season. That would be it for Singer, who gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
The Pirates had a big opportunity to break the game wide open in the seventh when Zach McCambley walked the bases loaded. Reds manager Terry Francona brought in Brock Burke, who was miraculously able to get out of the jam with a pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
The Reds had a big chance to tie the game in the 8th when they had runners on first and second with nobody out. However, Nathaniel Lowe popped out, Spencer Steer flew out, and Noelvi Marte grounded out to end the threat.
Pierce Johnson was set to come in the game for the Reds when the game entered a rain delay.
We will provide an update as we know more.
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