Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi Makes Starting QB Decision After Loss vs. North Carolina

Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi Makes Starting QB Decision After Loss vs. North Carolina

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Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi Makes Starting QB Decision After Loss vs. North Carolina
Holden Geriner

Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi Makes Starting QB Decision After Loss vs. North Carolina originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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When Pitt star Mason Heintschel suffered a season-ending knee injury against Virginia Tech on Oct. 2, backup quarterback Holden Geriner kept the team's perfect record intact, throwing for 78 yards and one touchdown in a thrilling 35-33 win.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Geriner wasn't nearly as effective in a loss to North Carolina on Saturday.

The fifth-year senior struggled against Bill Belichick's defense, throwing for 219 yards on 44 attempts with two interceptions. On a key fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter, Geriner's pass to a wide-open Cataurus "Blue" Hicks was too high, ending a potential scoring drive.

Despite that rough outing, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made it clear that Geriner will remain the starting QB as the Panthers prepare for an ACC matchup with Boston College.

"That's still the plan moving forward," Narduzzi said during a press conference on Monday. "You've got too much rotation, then you've got problems. But I've got a ton of confidence in Holden, guys."

Narduzzi noted that Geriner had a solid start, but he "didn't play a good second half." While he gave credit to the Tar Heels, Narduzzi told reporters that he wants to see Geriner stand in the pocket and hit open receivers.

"He's gonna make those improvements," Narduzzi said. "He's gonna improve on those little things like that. That's game experience. It doesn't happen naturally, guys. There's a lot going on.

"I wouldn't want to play quarterback. I was a linebacker. That was the quarterback of the defense. But you know, nobody — you guys don't even look at me, you know, back in the old days. You guys don't see the mistakes of linebackers. Everybody sees the mistake a quarterback makes. So, it's a tough position to play."

Beyond Heintschel and Geriner, freshman Corey Dailey is the only other Panthers quarterback who has thrown a pass during a regular-season game. He finished with 57 passing yards and one touchdown in a blowout win against Bucknell last month.

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