Penn State fans likely don’t care that rival Pitt (2-4) pulled off an unlikely upset against No. 14 Louisville (6-1).
But they can take pride in knowing that it was a former Penn Stater at the helm of the start.
Former Penn State quarterback Christian Veilleux led Pitt to the 38-21 upset victory. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the sophomore did so in his first career start.
Veilluex’s numbers don’t tell the full story of his performance. He only completed 12-of-26 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. But his touchdowns came on big plays of 46- and 31-yards.
More significantly, and a key reason in Pitt’s win, he didn’t register a turnover against one of the nation’s top secondaries. Louisville entered the game leading the ACC in interceptions with eight, a number that sits tied at seventh in the NCAA.
Before Pitt, Veilleux spent two seasons at Penn State. As a true freshman in 2021, Veilleux played in two games and completed 16-of-26 passes for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. Most of those numbers came in a start against Rutgers. Before the 2022 season, Veilleux was surpassed on the depth chart by Drew Allar and appeared in only three games, completing 7-of-9 passes for 44 yards.
