Pitt’s new offense under Kade Bell made its public debut at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, and while there were a few hiccups along the way, it’s hard to call the performance anything less than impressive.

55 points. 570 yards. Nearly 200 rushing yards. More than 350 passing yards. Seven yards per play. A third-down competition percentage above 50%. Only one turnover.

Everything Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi and new offensive coordinator Kade Bell were hoping to see from the Panthers’ new-look offense.

And just as Saturday was the debut for Pitt’s new offensive system, so to was it the debut for Eli Holstein, the redshirt freshman quarterback who transferred from Alabama this offseason.

Holstein earned the start for Saturday’s game in training camp, and his first game as a Panther was strong. Holstein completed his first five passes in the game, including a 46-yard deep throw to Kenny Johnson and an 11-yard touchdown pass to Konata Mumpfield.

He completed passes to eight different receivers and made several plays with his legs, including a 13-yard scramble to convert third-and-9 in the second quarter.

All told, Holstein finished with 336 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while completing 29 of his 39 attempts.

And when, with less than 12 minutes left in the game, Pitt turned to Nate Yarnell, the returning starter who lost the training camp competition to Holstein, things didn’t slow down. Yarnell bookended a long Reid run with a pair of completions, including a nice floating throw into the end zone for a six-yard touchdown catch by Raphael Williams.

That was Williams’ second touchdown reception in the game; Mumpfield and Johnson also scored receiving touchdowns, while running back Desmond Reid, a transfer from Western Carolina put up 156 yards and a touchdown on 17 offensive touches (plus a 78-yard punt return to give him a game-high 234 all-purpose yards).

Reid touched the ball 18 times on Saturday; he gained yardage on every one of those touches, and four of his opportunities produced 28, 32, 46 and 78 yards.

“That’s what I was talking about,” Narduzzi saids about Reid. “I mean, the kid's been like that, and he's tough. You know, he gets a little calf (injury) down there, and he comes right back. He doesn't say boo. He just keeps going. He's like an ever-ready battery. I mean, he just goes.”

Powered by Holstein’s emergence, the performance of the receivers and Reid’s playmaking ability, Pitt’s offense will enter Week Two’s game at Cincinnati with a fair amount of optimism - certainly more than the players had last season. The 570 yards and 55 points the Panthers produced on Saturday far outpaces anything they did a year ago, when the season highs were 491 yards and 45 points, and both of those were achieved against Wofford, the schedule’s FCS opponent.

Kent State might not pace the nation in defensive effectiveness, but for the first game of the season breaking in a brand-new offense with a brand-new quarterback and several brand-new players at the skill positions and several brand-new starters on the offensive line, it’s hard to find too many shortcomings.

“There's a different bounce about our kids,” Narduzzi said after the game. “I mean, I watched them last night coming out of, you know, offensive meetings last night at 8, 8.30 p.m., and it's just like the smiles on their faces. They're excited. They had a lot of confidence going in. Again, it's a tribute to our offensive staff and Coach Bell and what he's brought to the offense.

“There's a lot of confidence about what they're doing, how they're doing it.”

All told, three running backs, five receivers and two tight ends touched the ball on Saturday. Johnson led the receivers with seven catches for 105 yards and one touchdown, while Censere Lee caught six passes for 72 yards, Mumpfield finished with 56 yards and a touchdown on five catches and Williams turned his four receptions into 32 yards and two scores.

Plus, tight end Gavin Bartholomew tied a career high with five receptions and fellow tight end Jake Overman caught a pair of passes.

“I think schematically, I think Coach Bell and the offensive staff do a great job at scheming you up and putting our kids in position to make those plays,” Narduzzi said. “The ball's getting spread out. I don't know how many different receivers caught balls here today, but when you look at the targets and Kenny, I mean, it was just some good stuff. The ball's spread out. You can't just focus on that guy over there. We’ve got different ways of getting guys balls, and we try to get everybody involved.”