Eli Holstein talks about his college football debut in Pitt’s win over Kent State

went pretty good uh definitely some things I want to clean up here and there uh decision making for the most part was pretty good you know coach called a great game just made my job easy especially offensive line receivers running backs tight ends they did everything they needed to do to you know make it easy on me so you know made the game a lot uh slower uh more simple and I was just able out there to get the ball to The Playmakers um y see we we got a lot of them so it was a lot of fun to when you hit Kenny in that one pass early in the game you fig this I I got this thing handled now yeah well really that just that first completion was kind of like all right you know I'm here you know the stick out that I threw him on the first play was you know hey I got the the Jitters out the way I got the first completion out of there um you know so I was able to just go play football from there more than a couple times you when you were throwing the ball especially to Kenny seemed like you were throwing the ball before guys were even into their breaks and you were hitting them in stride how has that been to kind of work that while you're also in a quarterback competition sharing reps with Nate to develop that kind of chemistry you that's just a chemistry you got to develop you outside practice um you know when I first got here me and Kenny were going up to the facility you know late at night just throwing balls like that uh me pop CJ you know we'd go up there and just you know go through you know we had a a list of what we were going through we go quick game rpos intermediate and go some deep stuff you know Red Zone and we were just getting the timing down you know cuz we knew you know point in time the day was going to come where we're going to be out there playing together and we got to be on time to make the make the play that 40 that 46 y was that the was that the call the whole way or was that just the read you just saw it you're like Kenny's going to go get that yeah I believe can you know Step Up um you know they rolled away and I knew he was one-on-one he he can run so he outran the dude and I was just able out there just Loft it up there let him go get it and he made a play when did the coach stff tell you that you were going to be the starter today uh Thursday um they told me uh Thursday right before practice we went out there and everything what was that moment like for you it was a surreal moment uh just a child to a dream to you know play college football you know be a starter in college football um so you just when I got that news you know like coach D said I did shed a tear you know just thinking about all the people that helped me out there along the way you know parents grandparents teachers coaches um just people that have helped me and always believed in me since day one you know just finally feel like I made them proud and everything so it was just real moment was awesome that first go ahead coach said that You' really come on over the last couple of weeks what's really improved or what what that light that's come on or so for you just getting those reps um you know in Spring I had that hamstring injury so I wouldn't I was getting those reps but I wouldn't fully into those reps you know I wasn't full speed you know and just you know at that time you know I was here since January you know January spring fall Camp you know just getting those reps and you know the more reps that I got you know the more comfortable I was out there and you know these past couple weeks you know it's been the most comfortable for me that show today that first drive I mean you guys marched 90 90 yards down the field kind of what was that feeling like was it kind of like weight off the shoulders in a way or just kind of what was it was it was kind of like a moment like hey I'm in college football and I can play you know it was kind of a moment telling me hey you can do this which was a lot of fun being able to just get the ball to those guys and let them go make some plays uh was a lot of fun just seeing those guys out there you know running great routes you know being in the right spot you know knowing exactly what to do you know just having to trust I feel like we we trusted a lot each other a lot that drive you know trust in the o line tight end running back you know everybody doing their job and it was a lot of fun and putting a drive together like that is pretty big you credited your Playmakers a lot and uh was that just like a normal day for Desmond Reed is that what he does all the time yeah that's that's that's definitely a normal day for Desmond Reed h he's had some better days in practice honestly and being able to make plays like that um he's one of the most explosive players I've ever seen um practice with it's it's unreal what he can do you know I handed that ball off on the 45 yd line and as soon as I handed it off he scoring like me and Branson like hugged each other and like we wa by by the death because we knew he was going to score it was it was it was awesome you got that opportunity to watch the rest of the game after you guys kind of put it away what was that like again I guess a real moment for you to like say my deut what I needed to do kind it was awesome it's a a day you dream about since you were a little kid you know that first start you know having the performance I did for my first start was you know bigger dream I was able to go out there and do what I need to do and make sure the team won you know I was that was the goal um first goal was to get that first first down you know I just wanted to go out there score some touchdowns and just make sure my team won what coach say to you afterwards it was a great game keep doing what I'm doing and just make sure this momentum and this mindset and everything goes into next week Eli break down what happened on the interception for it seemed like there was an intent there and the ball just kind of like went went in a different direction um you know we were trying to get them to bite down on the run and they called it great coverage uh they were playing man and what we wanted we don't we didn't want that first man um and I saw pop you know I was thought I had a little bit of pressure but I didn't I should have just stepped up in the pocket you know deliver the ball um next time you know when I see that I'm just going to dirt the ball throw it away it's probably what I should have done and just make sure we go on the next play just stay down there outside of that play you guys very smooth especially in the Red Zone using spacing H having reads how comfortable did you guys feel operating in short spaces and throwing as much as you did we felt great you know we've been working on that a lot this week um you know pretty much every day we have a period of Red Zone you know coach Bell you know he takes the Red Zone pretty personal you know he's he's in there you know some teams want to go in there and just throw the ball you know but we're out there to just score touchdowns because we know that's what we can do you know we're going to go out there run the ball here and there but you know we're also going to throw we're not afraid to do that thees that together uh really put everybody in a great position uh to succeed you know made my job easy I was able to say hey I know where I'm going they do this I'm going here but if they do that I'm going here so made my job really easy you've already mentioned that this we'll do two more right here and then Jerry you've already mentioned this offense is full of Playmakers um what did you see from Gavin bartholomeo today and just kind of how big will he be for this offense he's going to be huge you know just being able to get him the ball in a variety of ways you know out the back field screens you know down the field like that he's able to catch it run through somebody you know he's for sure going to catch it he's got some great hands uh he can to make some plays after the fact after he has the ball in his hands and you know just kind of a safety blanket for me you know especially in some protections you know when I'm hot you know they drop I can always find Gavin he's going to he's going to be open he's going to catch it he's going to get you at least 10 15 yards which is awesome good thank you thanks