A 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl Q&A with the Loyal Sons

The MAC’s only bowl game against an Autonomous opponent is one sleep away, so if you need to get away from the family a bit and get a fresh perspective on what the GameAbove Bowl could look like, we’ve got you covered!

David Haddad of The Loyal Sons (formerly Capel Faithful) was nice enough to join us for a Q&A about the Pitt Panthers ahead of Toledo’s bowl game, and he has an interesting perspective on the game for reasons we’ll get into soon.

Without futher ado: the interview!

James: Let’s address the elephant in the room right off the bat: Pitt had a bit of a slide at the end of the 2024 season, losing their last five games after getting off to a hot start. Was there a particular reason for it? How do fans feel about how the season has gone?

David: There are many leading theories as to the cause of Pitt’s meltdown and I’m sure it will be the topic of much debate over the season. In my personal opinion, it all started when Pitt played Cal in October. Sure, Pitt squeaked one out against a respectable Cal team, but for the first time after a 5-0 start, All-World Freshman QB Eli Holstein looked human. I think Cal put the blueprint out on defending Holstein and every team Pitt played after copied it, because Eli didn’t look better than “putrid” at any point thereafter. The bottom truly fell out when the OL lost a few starters over the two subsequent weeks. Eli was running for his life and the entire offense came undone. Holstein didn’t finish a game healthy the rest of the season after the SMU Massacre, and the team completely folded on itself. The fanbase went from electrified to lost in a month.

James: How does the fanbase feel about drawing a MAC team in this game? Is it an insult? Is it appropriate? Is it a bit of both?

David: I’d like to preface this by disclosing that I, despite operating a Pitt media outlet, am a proud alumni of a MAC school (Ohio University Class of ‘18, OU OH YEAH). That’s right, I’m one of you: a certified, card-carrying MAC Respecter.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the rest of Pitt’s fanbase. I could hear the groans echo throughout Allegheny County when this matchup was announced. I’m sure that would’ve been the reaction had Pitt drawn any MAC team (even the 11-3 2024 Mid-American Conference Champion Ohio Bobcats), but the fact that they won’t even be playing a particularly good MAC team truly speaks to Pitt’s downfall. This team was 7-0 and in the Playoff conversation on November 1, and now they’re heading up to Detroit to play a team that went 4-4 in a non-Power conference. So to answer your question, it feels neither insulting nor appropriate. Just… 0depressing.

James: Eli Holstein, notably, may not be available. At last check, Nate Yarnell was the backup for the Panthers. What does Yarnell do differently from Holstein and how could the offense look like under him?

David: Holstein’s status is currently uncertain. Yarnell hit the portal and committed to Texas State. If Holstein can’t go, it will be David Lynch (a RS Freshman walk-on) under center. We lose if that happens.

James: This is, of course, a Pat Narduzzi team, which means it really wants to put an emphasis on defense. The numbers this year have looked about league average in the ACC, but how do they look on the field?

David: Pitt easily has one of the best, deepest, and most athletic linebacking rooms in the country, highlighted by the All-American Kyle Louis and All-ACC Rasheem Biles. However, this six-man rotation of super-humans was unfortunately sandwiched between two groups that were inconsistent. Pitt’s young DL struggled to get to the QB and the veteran secondary was exploited at times. Duzz’s defense relies on getting pressure with four and putting his corners in position to make plays, so when those four can’t get pressure and the corners can’t win one-on-one matchups, the linebackers can only do so much. To their credit, Pitt’s defense looked like one of the best in the country for a one-month stretch, but that fell apart when everything else did: Game 8 against SMU.

James: Who are some X factors to look out for on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball?

David: RB Desmond Reid if he plays. WR Kenny Johnson if he plays. LBs Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles if they play. You may notice a theme developing…

James: When you look at Toledo as an opponent, what are the things about them which jump out and grab you to be afraid of? What do you think you can take advantage of?

David: All I know about this year’s Toledo team is from watching my alma mater beat that ass on Nov. 20. So based on what Parker Navarro and Anthony Tyus did, I know you can run the ball on them. Unfortunately, “power running” is not in Pitt’s vocabulary this year.

Unlike most recent years, there’s nothing specifically this Toledo team can do that scares me. However, I have a lot of respect for Jason Candle and what he’s done in the Glass City. While I don’t think Toledo is that talented, I’m sure Candle will watch the prerequisite 20 minutes of film necessary to recognize that you can kill Holstein by changing up the defensive look pre-snap to confuse him then bringing pressure. So I expect a game.

James: Finally, how do you see this game playing out at Ford Field?

David: Either Holstein plays and Pitt wins or he doesn’t and they lose. It’s simple. Even if he plays, I think Toledo could keep it close for the reasons stated above, but I also wouldn’t rule out Pitt taking out 2 months of anguish on an overmatched foe.

Give me Pitt 34-13 if Holstein plays and Toledo 20-17 if he doesn’t.

James: Okay, I can’t help myself, I need to know this: Which is the better Michigan-based pizza chain: Little Caesars or Domino’s? (Editor’s note: the GameAbove Bowl is the new name of the Quick Lane Bowl, which replaced the Pizza Bowl.)

David: With all due respect to Little Caesars and it’s inflation-proof yet shockingly adequate pies, but we gotta go with Domino’s. They’ve been on a heater since they ran that ad campaign in 2010 where they admitted their pizza was bad and changed all their recipes.

Many thanks to David for taking part in a Q&A on the holidays! You can find the work of David and his friends at The Loyal Sons, a Pitt-centric social media site, on Twitter and Instagram using @TheLoyalSons, or on YouTube at the following link!