Coach Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers won’t be taking Duquesne lightly when the two square off at noon Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in the first City Game since 1939, but they are still looking to answer a few questions.

During his final news conference of the week Thursday, Narduzzi said his starters will play: “There’s no question.”

So expect to see quarterback Eli Holstein, running back Desmond Reid, and the star trio of linebackers — Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles, and Braylan Lovelace (Leechburg) — in action. However, players who are on the precipice of earning a starting position or vying for a backup role could see extended run as well, depending on how the game plays out.

“That’s why we play the games,” Narduzzi said. “Scrimmages are great. We try to get as close to a game day atmosphere as we can. But when those lights go on at noon, that’s when we find out. Like I told our football team, it’s an audition. You’re auditioning for your position, for your units, and we get to find out how that’s going to play out.”

Narduzzi said his team is about “85% locked into what we are,” but they are still looking for the “gamers” who make an impact when it matters.

When the Panthers released their two-deep depth chart earlier this week, it included three “OR” designations for starting positions, signifying that either of two players could start.

All three of those designations came along the defensive line, with two being stamped next to the defensive tackles: sophomore Francis Brewu or redshirt sophomore Isaiah Neal and Sean Fitzsimmons or Nick James, both redshirt juniors.

An “OR” at that position shouldn’t be surprising. Narduzzi and defensive coordinator Randy Bates regularly rotate defensive tackles and often change starters weekly.

“They work well together, and they all have rotated throughout,” Narduzzi said. “We feel like we have four starters in there, and we’ll rotate them as needed. It’ll be based on play counts and how long he was out there, giving another guy an opportunity to start the series off. We’ll just try to keep it even and fresh.”

While the third “OR” for a starting position was placed between defensive ends Blaine Spires and Jaeden Moore, there are position battles for backup roles taking place all over the field.

Running back, tight end, wide receiver, right guard, Mike and Money linebacker, cornerback, kickoff returner and punt returner have ongoing position battles.

Performing on Saturday — or failing to do so — could determine what backups are used or how deep the Panthers’ depth chart goes. That’s something they would like to determine as they work through their three-game nonconference slate before beginning ACC play Sept. 27 against Louisville.

As far as Saturday goes, Narduzzi is looking for players to make plays, pass their final “audition.”

“We got a pretty good idea of who’s going to get that done, but you always find out who those gamers are, right? I mean, you’ll find out,” Narduzzi said. “I told you Trey Butkowski is our starting kicker, but he’s still competing, too. It doesn’t matter if you’re a kicker or a long snapper.”

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