Pitt turns to Holden Geriner to stop the turnovers before Boston College and Miami

Pittsburgh has a new starting quarterback for the rest of the season, and he has one clear job to do first: stop giving the ball away.

Lindy's Sports reports that Holden Geriner is the starter for the foreseeable future. Sophomore Mason Heintschel tore his ACL at Virginia Tech and is out for the year. Geriner's first big test went badly. Pitt's unbeaten start ended against North Carolina, and two interceptions helped swing that game. The Panthers had gone into it with a plus-five turnover margin, and that cushion was gone by the end of the day.

The timing gives Pitt a chance to reset. The 5-1 Panthers play at Boston College at noon Saturday on ESPN2, and Lindy's calls it the most forgiving game left on the schedule. The Eagles are 2-3 and have not won an ACC game. Bill O'Brien is in his third season after a 2-10 finish last year. The last meeting was lopsided: Pitt won 48-7 last season in Heintschel's first career start.

The market expects something similar. Pittsburgh is favored at -217 on Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, and theScore Bet has the Panthers at -215. The spread is 6.5 points and the total is 42.5. The full board is on the game page.

According to Lindy's, the plan for Geriner is simple. He needs to protect the football, lean on a running game in which La'Vell Wright scored twice against North Carolina, and stop forcing throws on third down. The outlet expects Pat Narduzzi to make things easier for his quarterback with more play-action, shorter reads and a steady stream of designed runs.

Pitt needs that reset quickly, because the schedule gets much harder after this week. The Panthers go to Miami on Oct. 24. The Hurricanes are 5-0, ranked third and favored at -1233 on Novig against Florida State on Saturday night. After that, Pitt hosts Florida State on Nov. 13, plays at Louisville on Nov. 21 and closes the regular season at California on Nov. 28. Pitt has not won at Louisville since 2011. Georgia Tech and Syracuse still have to visit Acrisure Stadium, too. With one conference loss already, Pitt has little room left in the ACC race.

Geriner's hold on the job is secure for now, but that could change. Lindy's points to reporting from Yardbarker that Pitt has young quarterbacks behind him, including true freshman Corey Dailey. If the interceptions keep coming, the staff will have a real decision to make. A clean game in Chestnut Hill would go a long way toward ending that discussion.

Lindy's sees Boston College as a game Pitt should win and the Miami trip as the real measuring stick. For Geriner, how he plays this week will decide whether he goes to South Florida with any confidence.