P4 College Football QB Gets Punched on Nose & Starts Bleeding; Forced to Leave Game Briefly

If history is any indication, matchups against “Virginia” teams have mostly been unkind to Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein. Just last season, the signal caller was forced out of a game against the Virginia Cavaliers after a late hit to the head. Cut to Saturday night, and the pattern repeated itself. Only this time, it came in the 108th edition of the Backyard Brawl. West Virginia, a seven-point underdog, erased a 10-point deficit in the final quarter and clawed out a 31–24 overtime win over Pittsburgh in a game that felt every bit as rugged as the rivalry’s name suggests. However, it was Panthers quarterback Holstein who perhaps suffered the most.

A swarm of West Virginia defenders reportedly swallowed him in the second quarter when he carried the ball out of the backfield. When the pile finally cleared, Holstein was down with pain, waving for the trainers. After the game, as per an X update by journalist Justin Guerriero, “Eli Holstein showed up to his presser with one nostril plugged and some bandages on his nose. He says he got punched in the face in the red zone in the 2nd quarter. “My nose got split open” Holstein says, which is why he left the game for 1 play.” 

Notably, that punch forced a quick break in the action, too. The quarterback left for one play near the goal line, and backup Cole Gonzales briefly took over on second-and-goal from the 5-yard line. However, Holstein came right back on the next play, and Pitt settled for a short field goal before halftime. The brawl lived up to its name. Pittsburgh, though, had the most scars to show. 

The Panthers’ offense evidently fell short, settling for field goals when it needed touchdowns, with the team missing every chance to put the Mountaineers away. Holstein, who completed 22 of 37 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown, threw his sole red-zone interception in the first half that kept his team lagging 7-3 at the break. The quarterback, as per ESPN stats, also had a below-average 28.5 QBR. 

Pitt, on the other hand, steadied after halftime behind a defense that snagged multiple picks, including a big one by linebacker Braylan Lovelace. The Panthers then built a 24-14 lead with 9:23 left on Holstein’s 14-yard strike to wide receiver Raphael Williams Jr. However, West Virginia was not going to give up so easily as QB Nicco Marchiol marched the Mountaineers 87 yards in 13 plays to tie the game 24-24 with 11 seconds remaining. In overtime, Tye Edwards, who ran for 141 yards, finished it with a short touchdown, reclaiming the day. 

“We just didn’t execute, plain and simple. That’s what beat us — not executing. We got in the red zone three times and came away with one touchdown and two field goals. That’s on me. We’ve got to execute better,” Holstein later reacted. Currently on a 2-1 record, hopefully the team will find the rhythm to execute soon enough. What do you think?