The Atlantic Line
North Carolina upsets No. 25 Pitt for Bill Belichick's first ranked win at North Carolina
Billy Edwards Jr. hit Shamar Easter for 75 yards 11 seconds after Pitt took the lead. Holden Geriner, starting for the injured Mason Heintschel, threw two interceptions in his first college start.
North Carolina beat No. 25 Pitt 21-17 at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, giving Bill Belichick his first win over a ranked opponent as the Tar Heels' coach and ending Pitt's unbeaten start, ESPN reported.
The winner came almost as soon as Pitt went ahead. La'Vell Wright's 1-yard run put the Panthers up 17-14 with 12:47 to play, and 11 seconds of game clock later Billy Edwards Jr. found Shamar Easter down the seam for a 75-yard touchdown. It was North Carolina's first win against a ranked team since beating No. 25 Miami in 2023, and its first on the road against a ranked team since 2020.
A new quarterback for Pitt
Pitt was playing its first game without sophomore Mason Heintschel, who tore the ACL in his right knee in the 35-33 win at Virginia Tech last week and is out for the season, per ESPN. Heintschel had 14 touchdown passes and one interception before the injury.
His replacement, fifth-year senior Holden Geriner, was making the first start of a college career that has run through Auburn and Texas State. He completed 27 of 44 passes for 219 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, per the ESPN box score. At one point a fourth-down throw to a wide-open Cataurus Hicks was dropped, and Pitt later turned it over on downs at the North Carolina 21. Pat Narduzzi stood by him afterward. "Got a lot of faith and trust in him," the Pitt coach said.
How North Carolina won it
The Tar Heels did it almost entirely through the air. Edwards went 18 of 26 for 249 yards, with touchdown passes to Easter and Jelani Thurman, though he was also intercepted twice. Jordan Shipp caught six passes for 93 yards. North Carolina ran for just 20 yards and held the ball for 23:28, but the defense picked off Geriner twice, through Greg Smith III and Tre Miller, and held Pitt to 17 points despite 369 yards and 23 first downs.
What comes next
Pitt (5-1) is ranked No. 25 in this week's AP poll and No. 24 in the coaches poll, and Sunday's polls will show whether it stays there. The Panthers go to Boston College (2-3) next Saturday at noon ET on ESPN2, with Geriner in line for his second start.
North Carolina (3-2) heads to Durham for the rivalry game with Duke (4-1) at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Duke is coming off a 28-25 loss at Georgia Tech. Prices for both games will be on the North Carolina and Pitt team pages and the weekly board.
