Eli Holstein throws a career-high 4 touchdown passes as Pittsburgh eases by Duquesne 61-9

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Eli Holstein threw a career-high four touchdown passes, including two to sophomore wide receiver Cataurus “Blue” Hicks, and Pittsburgh eased past crosstown rival Duquesne 61-9 on Saturday.

Desmond Reid returned a punt 88 yards for a score less than 3 minutes in and added another on a 53-yard sprint as the Panthers (1-0) made sure the Dukes (0-1) never threatened to pull a stunner in the renewal of the “City Game” following an 85-year hiatus.

“It was meant to be,” Reid said after taking a punt all the way in the opener for a second straight season.

Holstein, whose breakout freshman season a year ago was blunted by injuries that contributed to Pitt's second-half freefall, completed 15 of 23 passes for 215 yards and ran for another 41.

While the Panthers weren't particularly sharp early on — Pitt's first drive ended with a punt and its third with Holstein throwing a pass that was picked off by Duquesne's Dallas Harper — they eventually wore down the Dukes with their depth and their significant advantage at the line of scrimmage.

Pitt reached the end zone on four straight drives spanning the end of the second quarter and the start of the third. Hicks, part of a group of receivers trying to establish themselves alongside Kenny Johnson, hauled in a 4-yard pass from Holstein for a score then later needed just one arm to corral a 16-yard rainbow from Holstein for another.

“Like the old saying is, shook the rust off a little bit,” Holstein said. "Just settling down, calming down ... doing the little things right went a long way.”

Duquesne's Tyler Riddell passed for 154 yards and a 7-yard score to B.J. Alexander. Joey Isabella caught eight passes for a game-high 120 yards as the Dukes, who play in the smallest stadium in the FCS (Rooney Field, which has a capacity of just over 2,000) had a couple of moments to remember while playing at Acrisure Stadium (capacity 68,400).

The family of former Pitt commit Mason Alexander spent the day with the team, five months after Alexander died in a car accident in Indiana.

Alexander's mother, Kelly Harris, led the singing of the Pitt fight song and received the game ball from head coach Pat Narduzzi afterward.

“It was a great feeling, just having his peoples here to see us play,” Reid said. “Like this whole week, we’ve been talking about ‘This game is for Mason. We’re going to play for Mason.’”

The Panthers will also play this season with a decal featuring the letter M with a halo over it on their helmets.

Duquesne: The Dukes who shared the NEC championship with Central Connecticut State last season but missed out on an FCS playoff berth, have the pieces to make another push. Riddell, a Gardner-Webb transfer, showed composure while facing the Panthers pass rush and the only thing Isabella didn't do was extend his touchdown streak to eight straight games.

Pitt: Reid, a second-team All-American last year after coming over from Western Carolina with offensive coordinator Kade Bell, wants to do even more this season. The undersized running back (5-foot-8, 175 pounds) is an electric performer with the ball in his hands. His punt return for a score was the longest by a college or pro player in the history of Acrisure Stadium since it opened in 2001, three years before Reid was born.

Duquesne: Hosts Lincoln (Pa.) next Saturday.

Pitt: Welcomes Central Michigan to Acrisure Stadium next Saturday.

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