Pitt QB Eli Holstein Exits Virginia Game With Apparent Head Injury

PITTSBURGH — Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein took a hard hit to the head in the third quarter against Virginia and left the game.

Holstein kept an option play on second-and-4 from the Pitt 45, picked up five yards and converted the first down. But as he slid to the ground, Virginia linebacker Trey McDonald hit him — high and hard — late. The play was reviewed for targeting and confirmed, with McDonald ejected from the game.

Holstein remained down on the field as players scuffled around him. He was attended to by the Pitt athletic training staff before walking off the field under his own power. He went straight into the medical tent on the sideline. After spending some time in the tent, he left for the locker room.

Nate Yarnell entered the game for Holstein, finishing a drive that resulted in a blocked field goal.

Holstein completed 10-of-23 pass attempts for 121 yards, adding 18 yards on the ground. Pitt held a 13-7 lead upon Holstein’s exit from the game.

It’s the second time in three weeks that Holstein has been forced out of a contest with an apparent head injury. It seems unlikely he will return to this game.