Christian Veilleux’s first career start as Pitt’s quarterback did not look so promising from the jump. The sophomore missed on his first five passing attempts, he had a bad snap sail over his head, and the Panthers were forced to punt on their first three possessions. It felt like more of the same for the struggling Pitt offense.

Veilleux finally got it rolling after that shaky start and delivered a clutch performance by throwing for 200 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers to help spring Pitt to a 38-21 upset over No. 14 Louisville. The first-time starter seemingly needed one big throw to settle in and it came late in the first quarter on the Panthers' fourth possession. Pitt dialed up a long pass to Bub Means, who had a step on the Louisville defender, and Veilleux dropped a dime for his first of two touchdown passes on Saturday for a 46-yard score to even things at 7-all.

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a completion before that one,” Veilleux told reporters after the game. “I was just missing throws and being too antsy and that one I got back there and I trusted it. I watched it in the locker room and it’s like I really stood back there and waited for him to get open and got him the ball and I feel like definitely getting that throw off settled me down, made me feel comfortable, and I was ready to roll.”

The comfort after that was apparent, even with some circumstances working against him. Veilleux was playing behind a makeshift offensive line, down four starters, going up against one of the ACC's best pass rushers in Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte. Despite starting a pair of freshmen, the group overall did a nice job of keeping the quarterback clean. Veilleux was only sacked one time in the game and had the necessary time to deliver the ball to Pitt’s playmakers.

“The media, you guys, have been tough on them and we as coaches and players have been tough on them,” he said of the line’s play on Saturday. "They know that the expectation is high and I think they delivered today. They played their best game for sure all season.”

The confidence of connecting on that deep shot with Means and the trust in his offensive line only made things easier for Veilleux as the game progressed. He marched Pitt on a 10-play 71-yard drive later in the first half to even the score at 14.

Later in the third quarter, he again led a lengthy scoring drive, one that covered 61 yards on 13 plays. Along the way the Pitt quarterback connected with Kenny Johnson for a crucial third down conversion and even called his own number on an 11-yard run to help set up a C'Bo Flemister score.

“We talk about take what they give you, and I feel like we did a good job of that,” Veilleux explained. “I feel like I missed a lot of throws today which I want to have back, especially some wide open ones, which I just left behind the receiver or threw it over his head. It’s all stuff to work on for next week.”

Means entered the season with high expectations. Many expected him to flourish offensively and be the team's top wideout, but the connection with former starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec did not seem to be there. In his one game with Veilleux, Means finished with four catches for 71 yards with that big score highlighting his day.

“He got swag,” Means said of his quarterback. “He got a little swag about him that a quarterbacks got to have. I like his swag. I like his game. I like his preparation and work ethic. He’s a baller, no cap, Christian is a baller.”

Pitt needed a little bit of swagger to its offense after some rough performances. The Panthers only generated four offensive touchdowns over their last three games, but the Veilleux-led offense posted four scores on Saturday alone. This moment has been a long time coming for Veilleux. Pitt’s offense has been stagnant for weeks and calls for him to take the reigns were getting louder and louder by the day, and to finally get that moment was gratifying.

“We just beat the No. 14 team in the country being 1-4 and just having a rough last four weeks,” Veilleux said of earning his first win as a starter. “We needed this. Our team needed this to pick us up and get us back to playing the ball we know we can play. It feels amazing and I wouldn’t sacrifice anything else to celebrate this with my teammates.”

The Pitt defense rose to the occasion on Saturday and helped spark the win in a big way. MJ Devonshire notched a pick-six to increase Pitt’s lead to 31-21 late in the third, but there was still a whole quarter to play and Louisville was not going to go away quietly.

Pitt’s offense sputtered with three consecutive three-and-outs to start the fourth quarter, while the defense kept making stops. The Panthers needed one more score to put the game on ice. Facing a fourth and five in Louisville territory, Pitt opted to go for it rather than settle for three.

The decision to go for it was rewarded. Veilleux dropped a ball right into the lap of Konata Mumpfield for a 31-yard score to increase the lead to 38-21, which gave Pitt enough breathing room to secure the upset win.

“That last 4th down touchdown pass was right on the money to Konata,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said of Veilleux’s second touchdown throw. “Just made plays when he needed to.”

Veilleux admitted he lit up when he heard the play call and felt confident he could make a throw to Mumpfield against the look Louisville was giving defensively.

“We knew they were going to be cover-zero, trusted our guy Konata to make a play and all I had to do was give him the ball,” he explained. “As soon as I heard the call from the headsets, I was all for it.”

Pitt improved to 2-4 on the year with the victory over Louisville. The season has not gone as planned for this team, but the remainder of the year now has some intrigue with a young quarterback showing signs of promise and he’s eager for the next challenge, a game on the road against Wake Forest next week.

“I mean, it’s been a great two weeks just being around my teammates and coaches and getting prepared for this game,” said Veilleux. "It was a fun ride, but we’ve got to do it all over again for Wake Forest.”