When Eli Holstein walked into the interview room Saturday night after Pitt’s 17-15 victory against California that in reality was a lesson in survival, reporters were ready for him.

His captivating season hit a roadblock in his second career ACC game when he threw two interceptions, completed just half of his passes (14 of 28) and managed only 133 yards through the air after averaging 313.4 in the previous five games.

So, no wonder the first question tossed at him was about what — or who — was to blame for Pitt converting only one of 12 third downs.

“Me,” he said, without hesitation. “I played like a freshman.”

Of course, he is a freshman, albeit a redshirt freshman making only the sixth collegiate start of a life that still hasn’t reached its 20th year. But he was mature enough to shoulder the responsibility, anyway.

“Trying to make plays,” he said. “I just needed to trust my guys, trust coach (Kade) Bell, trust the offense and get the ball to those guys and let them make plays.”

In the end, Pitt improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1982 and 2-0 in the ACC.

The Panthers owe a big debt of gratitude to California kicker Ryan Coe, who missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt with 1 minute, 50 seconds left in the game. Coe, a South Fayette gradute playing for his fourth team since high school, kicked up a divot while driving through the football.

Nonetheless, almost everything went wrong on offense for the Panthers, who didn’t score a point in the game’s final 40 minutes, 4 seconds — and that only came on Ben Sauls’ 58-yard field goal that tied a school record. Pitt scored the last of its two touchdowns two seconds into the second quarter.

Playing its best game of the season in front of a crowd of 49.773, defense gets most of the credit for the victory, recording a season-high six sacks — three by defensive end Jimmy Scott, two by linebacker Braylan Lovelace (Leechburg) and five in the second half when the game was on the line.

“Proud of our team to just find a way to win football games,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “The defense played lights out.”

Probably the game’s most important sequence was Scott getting two sacks after safety Cam Sidney returned Holstein’s second interception to the Pitt 40-yard line.

Yet the offense deserves its share of praise — especially offensive coordinator Kade Bell and Narduzzi — for aggressiveness and a gambling spirit. Pitt’s head coach, not as old-school as some might think, decided to leave the punt team on the sideline and go for a first down on fourth-and-1 from his own 28 in the second quarter.

After Holstein tried to get California’s defense to jump offside, he flipped the strength of the formation and handed the ball to running back Desmond Reid, who went 72 yards through the weak side for a touchdown and a 14-6 lead. Earlier, Reid scored from the 5-yard line after Narduzzi went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Pitt 49. A 19-yard pass from Holstein to Reid kept the drive alive.

“(Bell) made a great call right there,” Holstein said of Reid’s 72-yard score. “He kind of just drew that up on the sideline, came off the top of his head. That’s why he’s one of the best OCs in the country.”

Don’t over look the fact that Narduzzi had plenty of time to change his mind and order a punt. The play was the first of the second quarter. But he trusted his coordinator and offense, something he couldn’t do last season.

“Those are calls you’ve got to make as a head coach,” he said. “You guys yell at me if we don’t get it, but we were 2 for 2 (on fourth down).”

The decision to let Sauls kick a 58-yarder — when many coaches would have punted — also helped decide the game.

“There’s no hesitation on that call either,” Narduzzi said. Sauls tied a school record with his 12th consecutive good try (10 this season).

A coach’s decisions on the other side of the field helped Pitt’s cause, too. California’s Justin Wilcox went for 2-point conversions after both of his team’s touchdowns and failed.

“I wanted to get ahead,” he said of the first try in the first quarter. “I just felt like it was there.”

With another open week up next, Pitt has time to work on its problems before a game Oct. 24, prime time Thursday against Syracuse at Acrisure Stadium. And there is plenty to keep everyone busy.

“We did a poor job on third down. The whole first half was awful. We didn’t execute properly,” Narduzzi said.

“The great thing is we got a win, and we’ve got a lot of things we can whine and get after our guys about as far as cleaning up some of the details.”

Especially Pitt’s inability to cover tight end Jack Endries, who caught eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.

“We left the tight end just flat in the third quarter right down the middle wide open because a guy blitzes instead of plays coverage,” the coach said. “That’s a problem. But to be able to come away with a win and make mistakes like that, it’s a great thing.”

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