Tag: Christian Veilleux

Former Penn State QB struggles as Pitt gets blown out at Notre Dame, Narduzzi rips talent

Pat Narduzzi’s offseason comments about Pitt’s ‘real offense’ continue to blow up in his face, and now he may have lost some of his players after a blowout loss to Notre Dame.

Things have not exactly been great for the Penn State offense the last couple of weeks, but things could always be worse. You could be the Pitt Panthers.

Pitt fell to 2-6 this season after getting scorched on the road at Notre Dame this weekend by a score of 58-7. The Irish led Pitt 17 at halftime and blew the game wide open in the third quarter with a 27-point quarter. Former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] had a brutal outing in his latest start with 4 interceptions and -13 rushing yards.

Veilleux has taken over the starting quarterback job for the Panthers and is currently up to 774 passing yards with 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The Panthers are 1-2 since Veilleux has taken over the starting job with an upset win over Louisville and back-to-back losses against Wake Forest and Notre Dame. Pitt has be

The Pitt offense now ranks 113th in total offense, 101st in scoring offense, 117th in rushing offense, and 92nd in passing offense. Now heading into November, it is worth taking a look back at some of the comments Narduzzi had to share about the Pitt offensive philosophy when asked about the transfer addition of Veilleux from the Nittany Lions.

“Christian is a guy that, well, things are brand-new for him,” Narduzzi said in during the summer media day season. “He’s coming from a one-word offense to a real offense.”

Of course, this comment has already been revisited once this season. After Pitt scored 6 points in a rivalry game loss to West Virginia, we looked back at that quote, keeping in mind Penn State put 38 points on the board against the same Mountaineers team just a couple of weeks prior.

The state of Pitt’s “real offense” continues to take a beating after a horrendous showing against Notre Dame. And Narduzzi may be doing more internal damage than he can afford after his postgame comments about Pitt’s talent level were making the rounds on social media.

This comment was selectively taken a little out of context, as it was just a part of a response to a question where Narduzzi was attempting to explain the recent struggles starting with him, but it was enough to cause a stir online from some of Pitt’s players.

Narduzzi took to his social media account later to try and calm the noise a bit, but you have to wonder if it will resonate with his players well enough given how this season is going.

Narduzzi says Veilleux will remain Pitt’s starting quarterback moving forward. Veilleux and the Panthers will be in for another massive test next week when they host undefeated Florida State. Pitt is 2-6 and one more loss away from being ineligible for a postseason bowl game.

Meanwhile, in Happy Valley, Penn State has its own offensive concerns to address in the coming weeks. Penn State visits Maryland this weekend and will host Michigan next week. Penn State’s offense has to be cleaner and more crisp if it is going to avoid an upset at Maryland and compete with the two-time defending Big Ten champions.

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Social media reacts to Jaden Mickey interception return for touchdown

Only one in a series of big plays for the Irish.

This listicle began as one where social media reacted to [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag]’s touchdown to open Notre Dame’s third-quarter scoring. Here’s the play just so we have it on the site:

But just as work was beginning on the price listicle, a little-known Irish cornerback named [autotag]Jaden Mickey[/autotag] picked off Christian Veilleux for the first interception of his collegiate career. He also turned that interception into points, returning it 43 yards to the end zone, adding onto the Irish’s growing lead over Pittsburgh:

You always have to love when the players who aren’t as known get to shine in the spotlight. Even if Mickey doesn’t become a star, he’ll at least have plays like this to look back on.

Oh, and while this was being written, [autotag]Ramon Henderson[/autotag] recovered a muffed punt in the end zone for another Irish touchdown:

We could recap all of this right now, but for our purposes, we’ll focus on the play that got most people out of their seats, and that’s the Mickey pick to the house. Here’s how social media reacted to it:

Social media reacts to Xavier Watts’ two first-half interceptions

That’s six picks for him this season.

Christian Veilleux had to know [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] would be one of his biggest challenges when he led Pittsburgh’s offense against Notre Dame. He most certainly did not have two first-half interceptions by Watts in mind. Yet that’s exactly what happened, and they both set up all 14 points scored by the Irish’s offense in the half. The Irish led, 17-0, at the break.

Watts’ first pick set up the touchdown by [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag]:

This one set up a chip-shot field goal for [autotag]Spencer Shrader[/autotag] right before halftime:

You have to give Watts mad props for emerging as perhaps the one Irish defender you absolutely do not want to mess around with. If you don’t have a half-decent offense, which is the case for the Panthers, players like Watts will make you pay. Watts has done just that, and he’s going to be a major reason the ride back to the Steel City will be a long one.

Here is what social media is saying about Watts:

Social media reacts to Audric Estime’s touchdown vs. Pittsburgh

What a back the Irish fan.

After [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] intercepted Christian Veilleux to give Notre Dame the ball back, [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] made sure it was his drive. Estime carved up the Pittsburgh defense with a 33-yard run on the first play of that drive. Only three plays later, Estime had a 15-yard carry that was enough to put him in the end zone and give the Irish a 14-0 lead:

We’re in the last game of October, and Estime has reached double figures in touchdowns. Whatever the Irish do the rest of the season, he will have a lot to do with it.

Just like [autotag]Kyren Williams[/autotag] before him, Estime has had a couple of seasons in which the opposition has tried in vain to stop him despite planning for what he might do. The Irish are fortunate to have him.

Here’s how some Irish fans felt when they took to social media to celebrate Estime’s touchdown:

Penn State’s ‘one-word’ offense scored more against West Virginia than Pitt’s ‘real offense’

Penn State’s ‘one-word’ offense did much better against West Virginia than Pat Narduzzi’s ‘real’ Pitt offense.

Remember when Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi made a comment about Penn State’s offense not being as real as Pitt’s offense this offseason? That comment seems pretty fun to look back on now after Pitt’s offense struggled against an opponent Penn State opened the season with a bang against.

Narduzzi was discussing Pitt quarterback [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag], who transferred to Pitt from Penn State in the offseason. Narduzzi suggested Veilleux would be in a better spot to thrive in what he referred to as  areal offense compared to Penn State’s “one-word offense.”

“Christian is a guy that, well, things are brand-new for him,” Narduzzi said in a one-on-one interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s coming from a one-word offense to a real offense.”

Narduzzi tried explaining he was not taking an actual shot at Penn State and was stressing the different offensive styles between the two schools. That’s a fair assessment, because it is clear Penn State and Pitt have vastly different offenses this season. And now we have a common opponent to compare and contrast the two, much to the chagrin of Pitt’s head coach.

Penn State opened the season against West Virginia and won by a score of 38-15. Starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] made his first college start and ended his night with 325 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in the win for the Nittany Lions. Allar also completed 21 of 29 pass attempts against the Mountaineers with no interceptions to show for it. Penn State’s offense totaled 478 yards of offense in the win as well.

This past weekend, Pitt got a chance to attack that same West Virginia team, although this time the Mountaineers were playing at home instead of in a packed stadium on the road. So how did Pitt’s “real offense” do?

Not well.

Pitt starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec struggled all night long. Jurkovec completed just 8 of his 20 attempts for a grand total of 81 yards. He threw no touchdowns and was picked off three times, and Narduzzi was left in a tough spot defending his quarterback and starting quarterback decision after the game.

Could Pitt about to be making a quarterback switch in favor of Veilleux? If things continue down this path in western Pennsylvania, it could be happening soon. Pitt is 1-2 after their loss to West Virginia, and ACC play is about to get fired up.

Now, it is worth pointing out that this weekend also saw the least impressive showing by Penn State’s offense so far this season. Penn State struggled to get much going on offense in their first road game at Illinois, but Allar did not make any costly mistakes with a turnover-free game and over 200 yards of passing despite a mediocre pass-completion rate.

Drew Allar and Penn State’s “one-word” offense will prepare for a top 25 battle with Iowa this weekend in front of a whiteout crowd in Beaver Stadium on Saturday night.

Pat Narduzzi takes another apparent shot at Penn State’s offense

Pat Narduzzi takes another apparent shot at Penn State’s offense

You have to love talking season, especially when Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi gets in front of a microphone. While Penn State was going through the Big Ten media day fun in Indianapolis, the ACC football kickoff was showcasing its programs in North Carolina. And Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi almost couldn’t help taking what was perceived by some as a shot at Penn State’s offensive system and quarterback play.

Asked about his quarterback options and depth for the season, Narduzzi commented on Christian Veilleux, the former Penn State backup quarterback who transferred to the Panthers this offseason. Narduzzi praised Veileux and suggested he was coming along with getting used to a new offensive system, suggesting Pitt’s is more advanced than what Penn State operates with.

“Christian is a guy that, well, things are brand-new for him,” Narduzzi said in a one-on-one interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s coming from a one-word offense to a real offense.”

Ahh yes, there is the subtle shot at the Penn State offense that Narduzzi just couldn’t help unloading. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Narduzzi stressed this was not intended to be disrespectful of Penn State, but that won’t stop many from believing Narduzzi knew what he was doing with his quote. He is not one to typically hold back with his comments. But it is fair to suggest Pitt and Penn State run two totally different offenses, and there is a wide range of offensive styles found throughout the world of college football.

For example, Pitt’s “real offense” is coming off a solid season in which the passing game ranked 79th in the nation with 223.5 yards per game with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions thrown.

By contrast, Penn State’s “one-word offense” struggled with the nation’s 46th ranked passing offense with 252.5 yards per game and just 29 touchdowns to seven interceptions. And all that culminated in a Rose Bowl victory over Pac-12 champion Utah to close the season. Sean Clifford was named the game’s offensive MVP in his swan song with the Nittany Lions.

Narduzzi seems to be riding on the coattails of the one season in the past decade in which Pitt had a top-30 passing offense, with Kenny Pickett electrifying the ACC and leading Pitt’s eighth-ranked pass offense in 2021. But outside of that one blip on the radar, there has not been much to crow about with the success of the Panthers’ pass attack over the years under Narduzzi. Perhaps the 2021 season was the exception to the norm in western Pennsylvania.

But maybe we shouldn’t be too hard and overreact to this line from Narduzzi. Because he does have a point in saying that Pitt’s offense is designed differently than what Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has cooked up in State College.

“But it’s a totally different offense,” Narduzzi said. “This offense is NFL-style with sophisticated terminology. We’re going to see a different version of Christian.”

And this is a very good point to consider. Veilleux, who backed up Sean Clifford the past couple of seasons and saw the writing on the wall with the addition of five-star Drew Allar in the Class of 2022 (even though James Franklin insists there is actually a quarterback competition for this season). Veilleux will have a great chance to thrive at Pitt, one that he likely was not going to have at Penn State.

And we’ll all be watching to see how Veilleux does with the Panthers, even if out of just pure curiosity. Meanwhile, a reminder one last time that a one-word offense can do some serious damage against the right opponent. And Narduzzi is well aware of that.

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Penn State Football: 2022-2023 transfer portal departures tracker

Let’s take an updated look at the Penn State football transfer portal tracker.

The NCAA’s transfer portal is a game-changer for players and more and more players seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity to explore all of their options. Penn State has been a program that has sent a number of players to other schools by way of the transfer portal, some with more success than others, but the Nittany Lions have also caught on to the importance of tapping talent from the transfer portal to plug some holes on the roster.

Penn State head coach James Franklin has expressed his growing concerns over the way the transfer portal is treated by programs around the country, and how the pressure to focus on just football impacts the whole process. He’s not necessarily wrong on that account, but he may also b a bit frustrated knowing every year his program will lose players through the whole process when he can be focusing his energy on preparing for a bowl game or the early signing period on the recruiting calendar.

Here is a look at each player from Penn State’s roster that has been announced or been reported to be in the NCAA transfer portal.

Where did Penn State rank in ESPN’s quarterback rankings?

ESPN ranked quarterbacks for each team. Here’s where Drew Allar and Penn State rank.

Each year ESPN ranks the future of the quarterback position for each team in college football, and, like most years, Penn State is ranked decently high in the grand scheme.

Last year it was ranked 11th with [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] at the helm backed up by [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag]. With two of those three being elsewhere, it makes sense that Penn State may dip in the rankings and they did just that.

ESPN has the Nittany Lions ranked 15th in this year’s rankings. They discuss the drop coming from the departure of Clifford to the NFL and of Veilleux transferring to in-state rival Pittsburgh. The moves leave Drew Allar as the man to take over, and ESPN gives plenty of praise to him. They mention the expectations surrounding Allar are high; he is the highest-rated quarterback recruit they have had since Christian Hackenberg in 2013.

They also highlight that Allar will be in a familiar environment, stating the  “team has schematic continuity with coordinator Mike Yurcich” and it is that continuity that should help Allar in his first year as a starter.

The biggest flaw outside of the departure of the veteran presence on the depth chart is the people behind Allar. ESPN adds “redshirt freshman [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Jaxon Smolik[/autotag] … there’s a lot riding on Allar here, but he has the skill set to take Penn State a long way.”

They aren’t wrong, if something goes sideways in State College with Allar, the Nittany Lions will be in dire straights at the quarterback position. Franklin couldn’t land any veterans within the transfer portal so for better or worse this is the best they can do at quarterback behind Allar.

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Could Penn State welcome back Marcus Stokes to the Class of 2023?

Penn State needs a QB. Could this former commit still be the missing piece?

If you ask Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] how many quarterbacks he would like to have on his roster, he will tell you anywhere between three and five. After the departures of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag], Penn State will have a pair of freshmen returning to represent the team’s only returning quarterbacks with [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag]. But Penn State is adding Jaxon Smolik to the program as a late-blooming prospect in the Class of 2023, giving Penn State three quarterbacks on the roster going into 2023. Still, the Nittany Lions will likely be on the market to add at least one more quarterback in 2023, and one possible addition could still come through the recruiting process.

Enter [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag], a four-star talent out of Florida who at one point was committed to Penn State in the Class of 2023. In fact, it is because Stokes eventually decommitted from Penn State that caused Franklin and his staff to bring in Smolik as its quarterback in the Class of 2023. Stokes flipped his commitment from Penn State to Florida but the Gators ultimately pulled his scholarship offer after a controversial video of Stokes went viral. And now, Stokes could come back to Penn State as a result.

The On3 prediction machine has been leaning pretty hard on Penn State once Stokes became available again with a 66.3% chance of joining the Nittany Lions. But the prediction machine is a bit difficult to trust at times and could change at any moment. And given the nature of Stokes’ situation, there are no crystal ball predictions on the board at 247Sports. Forecasting where Stokes goes after committing to Penn State and then Florida and having a scholarship offer pulled for a negative viral video is difficult. Stokes has baggage that any program bringing him in now will have to address to some degree. Kids are dumb and will do dumb things. Stokes isn’t the first nor will he be the last. But the content of Stokes that resulted in his scholarship pulled is a PR issue that must be addressed in this day and age.

Whether or not Penn State gives Stokes a second chance remains to be seen, but there is no question he fills the hole Penn State is looking to plug. Although, at this point, maybe Franklin would prefer to add a more veteran presence to the quarterback room through the transfer portal. Allar got some good opportunities to play last season but there is no question the position is very raw on meaningful experience going into 2023, even with terrific upside potential in Allar. The quarterback position is a legitimate concern for 2023 even if just focusing on the depth.

Adding Stokes helps the depth, but the experience factor is still lacking if that ends up being the case.

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Christian Veilleux stays in Pennsylvania, transfers to Pittsburgh

Former Penn State QB announces transfer to Pitt.

Penn State is finally moving on from four year starter [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] as he looks to embark on an NFL career, or a professional career in another league, and there are some repercussions from the log jam he created. One can be seen as the passing game became stale and never got a taste of anything flashy. Another is more quarterbacks come in and grow impatient.

For [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag], he perhaps grew impatient, and for good reason. He made appearances in just five games, including three this past season, but never received meaningful reps. Because of that, he decided to enter the transfer portal and pursue greener pastures and in no time at all, it appears he found a fresh start.

Veilleux committed to Pittsburgh out of the transfer portal this week to compete with fellow transfer Phil Jurkovec. Jurkovec will have the unofficial home-field advantage being a Pittsburgh native but for Veilleiux to earn his spot is nothing new.

Veilleux entered the 2022 offseason as the presumed No. 2 behind Clifford and the thought was James Franklin would continue to favor the elder players. The problem is five-star freshman [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] won the backup gig during training camp, forcing Veilleux further down the quarterback assembly line.

Veilleux’s playing time this fall was limited to three appearances, completing 7 of 9 passes for 44 yards against Ohio, Auburn, and Maryland. Coach Franklin and the staff seemingly loved him but at the end of the day when you are a quarterback who was heavily recruited out of high school, especially out of Canada, you know those options should still exist.

The worst case in all of this, Veilleux will have to be patient one more year. He will have his best and most realistic chance to be the guy for the Panthers in 2024. Jurkovec runs out of eligibility and will be forced to move on while Veilleux would have at least one more year left.

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