Christian Veilleux made only his third career start over the weekend, and Pitt’s sophomore quarterback certainly struggled in big-time environment. Veilleux went just 14-of-29 for 127 yards and was intercepted four times against a tough Notre Dame defense. The Panthers lost the game to No. 14 Notre Dame by a score of 58-7, but rather than running from the result, the young quarterback is hoping to make it a learning experience.
Veilleux noted the team had a productive film session on Sunday to close the chapter on that nightmare in South Bend. While he said the film study ‘wasn’t fun’ but the young quarterback felt like he was able to identify some of his mistakes.
“I’ve got to play comfortable,” Veilleux told reporters after Pitt’s practice on Tuesday. “I’ve got to be able to stand back there and take a hit and just go through progressions. Notre Dame’s defense did a great job of playing the cover-two, which they played. It was hard for me to identify it, but I think it’s one of those moments where you never seen a defense play like that and now you get those reps and you finally understand and learn from it.”
Pitt pulled Veilleux early in the fourth quarter to let him sit back and observe for the remainder of the game. Following the game Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi confirmed that Veilleux wasn’t benched and reiterated faith in his quarterback on Monday.
“And, you know, he will get much better every game,” Narduzzi said. “And experience is the best teacher. And you can't force feed that.”
Experience can be one of the most valuable tools for a quarterback, and Veilleux is finding that out early in his career as a starter. He noted he may have lost focus of that against Notre Dame. The game started out with a sack, which he admitted may have taken him out of his rhythm and started to press from there.
“Just learn to be comfortable, be willing to take a hit, and just understand the playbook and executing it,’ Veilleux said of his biggest lessions. “I think I got away from that on the weekend and I tried to do some things I shouldn’t have done.”
The loss over the weekend stung for sure, and of course some comments made by Narduzzi in the press conference lingered in the aftermath of the game. The team seems moved on from that incident and as a quarterback Veilleux is trying to lead his team through a 2-6 start to the season.
“Well obviously it’s not easy, but hey it’s November and we’ve got four games left and November is a month that really matters,” Veilleux said of the team’s mindset. “Just keeping the fight, keeping the courage I think. Nobody is ready to quit yet and I don’t think we’re going to be ready to quit until we have nothing left to give, nothing left to play.”
Pitt ended last season on a five-game losing streak, which can be helpful for the team’s stretch run, but this is a new squad with different players. The focus, according to Veilleux, is going 1-0 each week. Accomplishing that goal on Saturday may be easier said than done.
Florida State is set to invade Acrisure Stadium on Saturday for the first time since 2013. The Seminoles are undefeated and ranked No. 4 in the country and look like a legitimate national championship contender. Mike Norvell’s team boasts one of the better pass defenses in the ACC and also one of the league’s top defensive players in Jared Verse, a projected first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft,
“Definitely some great players, athletic, talented, so it’s going to be a challenge for us, but we’re up for it,” Veilleux said of facing off against Florida State.
It won’t exactly be a head-to-head battle, but Florida State is led by quarterback Jordan Travis, one of the best players in the country. Travis has thrown for over 2,100 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. While Travis is operating his offense, it will be a learning experience for Veilleux, a young quarterback who is still growing, to see how he plays the position.
“I think he's a great player,” Veilleux said of Travis. “Just watching Sam Hartman do what he does last week and now you get to watch Jordan Travis. We’ve played some great quarterbacks and for me it’s learning opportunity just watching those guys on the sideline, watching how they operate, and how they play. It’s definitely cool.”
The entire Pitt team knows their season lost its way a while ago, but the mantra and goal inside the locker room is still about getting a win each week and not looking too far down the line, no matter the opponent.
“For us, it’s just about the game that we’re facing and going 1-0 every week and it will take care of itself,” said Veilleux.
