Walk-on David Lynch starts at quarterback for Pitt in the GameAbove Sports Bowl

On By Littum

For the second time in its last three bowl appearances, Pitt will turn to a third-string quarterback.

David Lynch, a walkon who signed up in January 2023, will start for the Panthers on Thursday against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field.

Three years ago, Davis Beville replaced an injured Nick Patti late in the first quarter of the 2021 Peach Bowl against Michigan State. Patti, who injured his shoulder diving for a touchdown, started after Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett opted out of injury protection ahead of the NFL Draft. Beville completed 14 of 18 passes for 149 yards, with a touchdown and interception, in a 31-21 loss to the Spartans.

The Panthers also used a second-string backup in the 2022 Sun Bowl when Patti replaced Kedon Slovis, who had transferred. Pitt hasn’t played a bowl game with its regular starting quarterback since Pickett led a 34-30 victory against Eastern Michigan in the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl.

Lynch (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) gets the call Thursday after Eli Holstein missed the final regular-season game with a leg injury and No. 1 backup Nate Yarnell transferred. Holstein was not in uniform Thursday, but he was on the Pitt sideline wearing a walking boot on his left leg.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Ty Dieffenbach also transferred, so Lynch’s backup will be freshman Julian Dugger, a Penn Hill graduate who has been with the program since January 2024. Dugger did not appear in any games this season.

Lynch played briefly in the final two games of the season at Louisville and Boston College, completing six of nine passes with an interception.

A graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Lynch spent the 2022 season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he led the team to the National Post-Grad Athletic Association championship, throwing for 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns. . Before IMG, he led Bishop Hendricken to an Interscholastic League State Championship Super Bowl.

Lynch played football, basketball and baseball in high school, where he was all-state in basketball, leading Bishop Hendricken to three state championships.

Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter who has covered Pitt athletics since 2011. A native of Pittsburgh, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as a Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be contacted at [email protected].