LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Pittsburgh’s quarterback Eli Holstein suffered a significant left leg injury during the first quarter of Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference matchup against Louisville and was subsequently transported to a hospital for further evaluation.

The redshirt freshman was tackled by Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte, which resulted in his left ankle being positioned awkwardly as he fell, leading to a 4-yard loss at midfield. Medical staff from the Panthers quickly arrived on the scene, and a cart was soon deployed to assist Holstein.

As he was being placed on the cart, Holstein’s leg was secured in a boot. Before departing the field, he managed to give a thumbs-up gesture to his teammates, who applauded him as he left for medical attention.

Holstein, who had stepped in as the starting quarterback for the Panthers (7-3, 3-3 ACC) after missing the previous week’s 24-20 defeat to No. 17 Clemson due to a head injury, had already faced challenges this season. He had sustained that earlier injury during a run against Virginia. Despite leaving a game against Syracuse on October 24 due to a hit, he did make a comeback against SMU the following week.

In the game against Louisville, Holstein managed to complete 3 out of 4 pass attempts for 51 yards before throwing an interception to Louisville’s Stanquan Clark in the end zone during the initial possession. Following his injury, junior Nate Yarnell took over the quarterback position for Pittsburgh.