Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Pittsburgh

Pitt benches Eli Holstein, replaces him with Cole Gonzales at QB vs. Louisville

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra09/27/25SamraSource
Eli Holstein
(Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

Pittsburgh has benched Eli Holstein in the fourth quarter down seven against Louisville. Pat Narduzzi has turned the keys to the car over to backup Cole Gonzales, as the Panthers look to make a comeback.

Holstein was 14 for 26 for 228 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Those two picks came in the second half, as the Cardinals mounted a comeback against the Panthers.

It seemed like it was going to be a glorious afternoon inside Acrisure Stadium for Pittsburgh. They raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, but Louisville wouldn’t go away. In the second half, it’s been all Cardinals — they’ve scored 17 unanswered points of their own to take the lead.

While Holstein struggled, Gonzales was ready for his opportunity. He’s a transfer from Western Carolina, but whether or not he can help Pittsburgh avoid loss No. 2 of the season remains to be seen.

Moving forward, it’ll be fascinating whether Holstein or Gonzales starts for the Panthers. Pitt seems to be at a crossroads though, after a fantastic start to Week 5 turned into a nightmare.

Louisville ball boy goes viral for chasing Pittsburgh players after Miller Moss interception

Earlier in the game, a Louisville ball boy went viral. Following a Miller Moss pick-six, the ball boy attempted to get the ball back, vigorously.

The pick-six put Pitt up 17-0 as Rasheem Biles took it back 75 yards, much to the delight of the Panthers’ fanbase. But as he was celebrating and wanted to pass the ball off, the Louisville ball boy was trying to get the football back and it was a total tussle.

Eventually, the ball made its way into the stands, but it seemed to be chaos. It could’ve been a spark for the Cardinals since they came back to tie it up with 3:42 remaining in the half.

It was a bad start for Louisville as Moss and company were in a hole. The Cardinals were coming off a 40-17 win over Bowling Green where Moss played well, per head coach Jeff Brohm.

— On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.