Pittsburgh Dominates Central Michigan 45-17 in Week 2
Pittsburgh rolled to a convincing 45-17 victory over Central Michigan in Week 2, with quarterback Eli Holstein leading an efficient offensive performance. The Panthers jumped ahead early with a touchdown in the first quarter and never trailed, building a commanding lead with 17 points in the second quarter before adding 14 more in the fourth.
Holstein orchestrated the Pittsburgh attack, connecting with multiple receivers including a 48-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Williams Jr. in the third quarter. The Panthers' defense was stout, forcing Central Michigan into low-output quarters throughout the contest.
Central Michigan managed just 10 points in the second quarter but could not sustain offensive momentum, scoring only seven points in the third quarter and failing to score in the final frame. Pittsburgh's defense, led by strong performances in the second and third quarters, limited the Chippewas' ability to capitalize on their possessions.
The game stayed competitive relative to the final margin, with the over-under set at 48.5 and the total hitting the over. Pittsburgh covered the 21.5-point spread decisively, controlling the contest from start to finish.
AI-generated recap · Aug 20, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Central Michigan | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
 Pittsburgh | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Central Michigan | Pittsburgh |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 20-27 | 24-32 |
| Pass Yards | 177 | 340 |
| Rush Yards | 40 | 124 |
| Total Yards | 217 | 464 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 6-17 | 6-9 |
| Penalties | 9-75 | 6-63 |
| Possession | 36:43 | 23:17 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Cade Graham kickoff for 62 yds , Kenny Johnson return for 25 yds to the PITT 28
Eli Holstein pass complete to Desmond Reid for 4 yds to the PITT 32
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 20 yds to the CMU 48 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 6 yds to the CMU 42
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Kenny Johnson
Desmond Reid run for 4 yds to the CMU 38 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass complete to Desmond Reid for 32 yds to the CMU 6 for a 1ST down
PENALTY CMU Offside (Demma,Korver) 3 yards from CMU06 to CMU03. NO PLAY.
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 3 yds for a TD (Trey Butkowski KICK)
Sam Carpenter kickoff for 55 yds , Nahree Biggins return for 12 yds to the CMU 22
Nahree Biggins run for 3 yds to the CMU 25
run for 11 yds to the CMU 14 fumbled, recovered by CMU Joe Labas
Joe Labas pass incomplete to Tyson Davis
Declan Duley punt for 71 yds
Desmond Reid run for no gain to the PITT 15
Eli Holstein sacked by Fernando Sanchez III for a loss of 4 yards to the PITT 11
Eli Holstein run for 31 yds to the PITT 42 for a 1ST down
Desmond Reid run for 5 yds to the PITT 47
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 4 yds to the CMU 49 Pittsburgh Penalty, Offensive Holding (Cataurus Hicks) to the PITT 41
Eli Holstein pass complete to Desmond Reid for 7 yds to the PITT 48
Eli Holstein pass complete to Desmond Reid for 5 yds to the CMU 47 for a 1ST down
Juelz Goff run for 4 yds to the CMU 43
Juelz Goff run for no gain to the CMU 43
Eli Holstein pass complete to Juelz Goff for 10 yds to the CMU 33 for a 1ST down
Juelz Goff run for 4 yds to the CMU 29
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Juelz Goff
Desmond Reid run for 5 yds to the CMU 24
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Raphael Williams Jr.
DeCorion Temple run for 1 yd to the CMU 25
Trey Cornist run for 3 yds to the CMU 28
Joe Labas pass complete to Tyson Davis for 13 yds to the CMU 41 for a 1ST down
Brock Townsend run for a loss of 1 yard to the CMU 40
Nahree Biggins run for 2 yds to the PITT 35
Jadyn Glasser pass incomplete to DeCorion Temple
Jadyn Glasser pass complete to Brock Townsend for 12 yds to the PITT 23 for a 1ST down
Jadyn Glasser run for 5 yds to the PITT 18
Trey Cornist run for 1 yd to the PITT 17
PENALTY CMU False Start (Maiava,Dominique) 5 yards from Pitt17 to Pitt22. NO PLAY.
Trey Cornist run for a loss of 1 yard to the PITT 23
Cade Graham 41 yd FG GOOD
Cade Graham kickoff for 51 yds , Kenny Johnson return for 12 yds to the PITT 26
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Cataurus Hicks
Eli Holstein pass complete to Kenny Johnson for 18 yds to the CMU 44 for a 1ST down Central Michigan Penalty, Face Mask (15 yards) (Caleb Spann) to the CMU 41 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass complete to Cataurus Hicks for 19 yds to the CMU 22 for a 1ST down
Desmond Reid run for 5 yds to the CMU 17
(11:08) No Huddle-Shotgun Holstein,Eli pass incomplete short right to Hicks,Cataurus thrown to CMU00 PENALTY CMU Offside (Demma,Korver) 5 yards from CMU17 to CMU12, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Eli Holstein pass complete to Justin Holmes for 12 yds for a TD (Trey Butkowski KICK)
Nahree Biggins run for no gain to the CMU 25
Trey Cornist run for a loss of 3 yards to the CMU 22
Joe Labas pass complete to DeCorion Temple for no gain to the CMU 22
Zac Chapeau punt for 50 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the PITT 48 , Desmond Reid returns for 20 yds to the PITT 48
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for no gain to the PITT 48
Eli Holstein pass complete to Ja'Kyrian Turner for 1 yd to the PITT 49
Eli Holstein pass complete to Deuce Spann for 20 yds to the CMU 31 for a 1ST down
Central Michigan Penalty, Illegal Substitution (Fernando Sanchez III) declined
Eli Holstein pass complete to Desmond Reid for 21 yds to the CMU 2 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass complete to Josh Altsman for 2 yds for a TD (Trey Butkowski KICK)
Angel Flores run for a loss of 2 yards to the CMU 38
Angel Flores sacked by Zach Crothers for a loss of 5 yards to the CMU 33
Joe Labas pass complete to Justin Ruffin Jr. for 6 yds to the CMU 39
Declan Duley punt for 10 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the CMU 49
Eli Holstein pass complete to Zion Fowler-El for 6 yds to the CMU 43
Eli Holstein pass complete to Justin Holmes for 13 yds to the CMU 30 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Raphael Williams Jr.
Desmond Reid run for 2 yds to the CMU 28
(03:20) No Huddle-Shotgun Holstein,Eli rush right for 8 yards gain to the CMU20 (Blackwell,Maddix) PENALTY Pitt Holding (Cooper,Lyndon) 10 yards from CMU28 to CMU38. NO PLAY.
Eli Holstein pass complete to Zion Fowler-El for 13 yds to the CMU 25
Trey Butkowski 43 yd FG GOOD
Jadyn Glasser run for 2 yds to the CMU 27
PENALTY CMU False Start (Blum,Ryan) 5 yards from CMU27 to CMU22. NO PLAY.
Central Michigan Penalty, Offensive Holding (Yards) declined
Nahree Biggins run for 3 yds to the CMU 25
Declan Duley punt for 55 yds , Desmond Reid returns for 54 yds to the CMU 26
Declan Duley punt for 55 yds , Desmond Reid returns for 54 yds to the PITT 16
Juelz Goff run for 6 yds to the PITT 22
Eli Holstein pass intercepted Jordan Kwiatkowski return for 18 yds to the PITT 13
Angel Flores run for 3 yds to the PITT 10
Angel Flores run for 3 yds to the PITT 7
(00:27) No Huddle-Shotgun Glasser,Jadyn pass incomplete short middle to VanTimmeren,Nathan thrown to Pitt00 PENALTY Pitt Illegal Substitution 3 yards from Pitt07 to Pitt04. NO PLAY.
Jadyn Glasser pass incomplete to Nathan VanTimmeren
Jadyn Glasser run for 2 yds to the PITT 2 for a 1ST down
Jadyn Glasser pass incomplete
Jadyn Glasser pass incomplete to Tommy McIntosh
Jadyn Glasser run for 2 yds for a TD (Cade Graham KICK)
kickoff for 22 yds , Kavir Bains-Marquez return for no gain to the PITT 43
Desmond Reid run for 7 yds to the 50 yard line
End of 2nd Quarter
Desmond Reid run for 19 yds to the CMU 31 for a 1ST down Pittsburgh Penalty, Illegal Block (Yards) declined for a 1ST down
Joe Labas pass complete to Henry Dryden for 5 yds to the CMU 30
Joe Labas pass complete to Tommy McIntosh for 9 yds to the CMU 39 for a 1ST down
Joe Labas pass incomplete to Tommy McIntosh
Joe Labas run for 5 yds to the CMU 44
Angel Flores run for 1 yd to the CMU 45
Declan Duley punt for 45 yds
Eli Holstein run for 6 yds to the PITT 16
Desmond Reid run for a loss of 1 yard to the PITT 15
Eli Holstein run for 3 yds to the PITT 18
Caleb Junko punt for 47 yds , Caleb Spann returns for 2 yds to the CMU 37
Joe Labas pass complete to Justin Ruffin Jr. for 7 yds to the CMU 44
Trey Cornist run for 9 yds to the PITT 47 for a 1ST down
Trey Cornist run for 4 yds to the PITT 43
Nahree Biggins run for 2 yds to the PITT 41
(07:38) Shotgun Glasser,Jadyn rush middle for 2 yards gain to the Pitt39 (Brookins,Cruce) PENALTY CMU Holding (Koivisto,Martin) 10 yards from Pitt41 to CMU49. NO PLAY.
Jadyn Glasser pass complete to Nasir Williams for 10 yds to the PITT 41
Jadyn Glasser pass complete to DeCorion Temple for 8 yds to the PITT 33 for a 1ST down
Trey Cornist run for 3 yds to the PITT 30
Joe Labas pass complete to Justin Ruffin Jr. for 2 yds to the PITT 28
Joe Labas run for 1 yd to the PITT 27
Joe Labas pass complete to Langston Lewis for 21 yds to the PITT 6 for a 1ST down
Joe Labas pass complete to DeCorion Temple for 6 yds for a TD (Cade Graham KICK)
Pittsburgh Penalty, Defensive Holding (Yards) declined
Cade Graham kickoff for 60 yds , Kenny Johnson return for 47 yds to the CMU 48
Desmond Reid run for no gain to the CMU 48
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 48 yds for a TD (Trey Butkowski KICK)
Sam Carpenter kickoff for 63 yds , Nahree Biggins return for 19 yds to the CMU 21
Joe Labas pass incomplete to Tommy McIntosh
Trey Cornist run for a loss of 3 yards to the CMU 18
Joe Labas pass complete to Tyson Davis for 12 yds to the CMU 30
Joe Labas run for 1 yd to the CMU 31 for a 1ST down
Nahree Biggins run for no gain to the CMU 31
Angel Flores run for 14 yds to the CMU 45 for a 1ST down
Jadyn Glasser sacked for a loss of 6 yards to the CMU 39
Nahree Biggins run for no gain to the CMU 39
Joe Labas pass complete to Brock Townsend for 8 yds to the CMU 47
Joe Labas run for 4 yds to the PITT 46 Joe Labas fumbled, recovered by CMU Kyle Louis
Eli Holstein pass complete to Raphael Williams Jr. for 40 yds to the CMU 14 for a 1ST down
Eli Holstein pass incomplete to Raphael Williams Jr.
(11:21) No Huddle-Shotgun Holstein,Eli pass incomplete short right to Hicks,Cataurus thrown to CMU00, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY CMU Pass Interference (Snell,Aakeem) 12 yards from CMU14 to CMU02, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Juelz Goff run for no gain to the CMU 2
Juelz Goff run for 2 yds for a TD (Trey Butkowski KICK)
Angel Flores pass complete to Nahree Biggins for 2 yds to the CMU 27
Angel Flores run for 4 yds to the CMU 31
Angel Flores run for 5 yds to the CMU 36 for a 1ST down
Trey Cornist run for no gain to the CMU 36
PENALTY CMU False Start (Payne,Collin) 5 yards from CMU36 to CMU31. NO PLAY.
Jadyn Glasser pass complete to Justin Ruffin Jr. for 4 yds to the CMU 35
Jadyn Glasser pass complete to Collin Payne for 18 yds to the PITT 47 for a 1ST down
Nahree Biggins run for 1 yd to the PITT 46
Jadyn Glasser pass complete to Camden Kruisenga for 26 yds to the PITT 20 for a 1ST down
Jadyn Glasser sacked for a loss of 5 yards to the PITT 25
Nahree Biggins run for a loss of 1 yard to the PITT 26 Nahree Biggins fumbled, recovered by CMU Nahree Biggins
Angel Flores sacked by Isaiah Neal for a loss of 5 yards to the PITT 31
Angel Flores pass incomplete
Angel Flores pass incomplete
Mason Heintschel pass complete to Josh Altsman for 9 yds to the PITT 40
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 1 yd to the PITT 41 for a 1ST down
(02:24) No Huddle-Shotgun Heintschel,Mason pass incomplete short left to Altsman,Josh thrown to Pitt43 PENALTY CMU Roughing The Passer (Hayden,Keshawn) 15 yards from Pitt41 to CMU44, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Mason Heintschel pass incomplete to Max Hunt
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 9 yds to the CMU 35
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 6 yds to the CMU 29 for a 1ST down
Mason Heintschel pass complete to Deuce Spann for 7 yds to the CMU 22
Mason Heintschel pass complete to Josh Altsman for 20 yds to the CMU 2 for a 1ST down
Ja'Kyrian Turner run for 2 yds for a TD (Trey Butkowski KICK)
Kadenn Rose run for a loss of 1 yard to the CMU 24