Should Pitt have gone with Nate Yarnell all along?

Maybe. Maybe not. There’s still a lot to be proven with Nate Yarnell. Even in the aftermath of his second career start, Yarnell’s career sample size is still remarkably small. He attempted just 19 passes to beat the Eagles, and while he completed 11 of those for 207 yards and a touchdown, it remains to be seen if Yarnell can put the team on his back and carry it to victory.

But Yarnell did show a few things in Thursday night’s win. He showed that he was comfortable operating the offense. He showed that he could make reads and work through progressions. He showed that he could move around a little bit and still make throws downfield. He showed that he could pump-fake. He showed that he could hit a slant.

He showed that he could fight for the end zone.

He showed that he could make plays without giving up turnovers.

He showed that he could win.

And perhaps most importantly, Yarnell showed that he should have gotten a chance earlier in the season.

Against Syracuse at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, for example. Or against Wake Forest in a winnable game four weeks ago. Or in another winnable game at Virginia Tech three weeks before that.

Maybe even as early as September, when poor quarterback play doomed Pitt to bad losses against Cincinnati and West Virginia.

The Pitt coaches would contend that Phil Jurkovec, the super senior transfer from Boston College who was brought in to be a one-and-done leader in 2023, deserved the first shot. And they would likely contend that Christian Veilleux, the redshirt sophomore transfer who was brought in from Penn State to be the heir apparent, deserved the next shot when Jurkovec flamed out.

But lurking all along in the background, sitting behind Jurkovec and Veilleux, was Yarnell, the homegrown talent who came to Pitt from Texas as a recruit in the Covid year, committing to the Panthers without ever setting foot in campus.

Yarnell, who answered the call in a road game at Western Michigan last year and executed a safe game plan for a valuable win. Yarnell, who came off the bench this year in a blowout loss at Notre Dame and provided what might have been the only spark on that miserable day in South Bend.

Yarnell, who had Pitt’s offense marching in the fourth quarter against Syracuse before a non-fumble became a fumble thanks to replay.

Quite simply, every time Yarnell’s number has been called, he has delivered. He delivered against Western Michigan. He made quality throws in the two opportunities he got this season. And he delivered Pitt’s first win in more than a month on Thursday night.

Make no mistake about it: Yarnell was a central figure in the Panthers’ victory over Boston College. He completed two passes for 45 yards toward Pitt’s game-tying field goal in the first quarter. On the Panthers’ next drive, he completed 3-of-4 for 45 yards and rushed three times for 19 yards, including a four-yard dive to the end zone for a touchdown. And he put Pitt up for good on the Panthers’ second drive of the second half when he connected on a pair of passes to Konata Mumpfield that gained 30 yards and then used a pump-fake to perfection, drawing in the Eagles’ safeties to give Bub Means a lot of open space.

The pass connected and Means ran 61 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

Yarnell didn’t necessarily make it look easy, but he also never looked like he was struggling. He was always in control, moving the pocket when necessary and also realizing when the protection allowed him time to get through his progressions.

And again, he didn’t turn the ball over which was a breath of fresh air after Veilleux’s three turnovers against Syracuse gave the Orange the three second-half touchdowns that secured the loss for Pitt at Yankee Stadium.

It’s pointless speculation to wonder what Pitt’s record would be if Yarnell had started sooner; all head coach Pat Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti can do now is stick with Yarnell and see how he does in the season finale at Duke next Saturday.

If Yarnell succeeds in Durham, though - if he builds on what he did Thursday night and leads Pitt to another victory - then the conversation about the Panthers’ quarterback situation in 2024 will get a lot more interesting.