The Tar Heels left Acrisure Stadium with plenty to celebrate, and Bill Belichick made sure the mood in the locker room matched the moment. His team had just outlasted No. 25 Pittsburgh, 21-17, after digging out of a 10-point hole, and the coach kept hammering the same point to his players: this one had to be earned.
"Fellas, that's the way to grind it out - never easy," said Belichick, encircled by his players. "Got to grind it out. We've been in a lot of close games, and we'll probably be in more of them."
UNC, now 3-2 and 1-1 in the ACC, picked up its first win over a ranked opponent since 2023 and its first road win since 2020. Belichick praised the group for how it managed to "out-tough and "out-compete" the previously undefeated Panthers before he started to walk away.
That’s when Jordan Shipp stepped in with the game ball. The Tar Heel captain wasn’t letting the coach off without a little more recognition.
"First. Ranked.
Win," the junior wideout told his coach, slapping the ball between each word. "Plenty more to come.
You go through a lot of fire. You help us prepare.
You do a lot for us. First game ball, coach B!"
Shipp was central to the comeback, finishing with six catches for 93 yards and leading UNC in receiving for the second straight week. After the Tar Heels fell behind 10-0, Billy Edwards went deep on the first play of the next drive and found Shipp for a 49-yard gain - UNC’s longest offensive play of the season to that point, even if it didn’t stay that way for long. The drive ended with Jelani Thurman’s fourth touchdown catch of the year.
Shipp kept coming. On UNC’s next scoring march, he added two more receptions, including a leaping 9-yard grab at the 1-yard line. That kind of connection, Shipp said, should keep creating chances for everyone else in the room.
"The chemistry between Edwards and Shipp is going to "open up a lot of stuff for the rest of the guys in our room," Shipp said.
And then there was Shamar Easter.
The redshirt junior tight end had already caught his first touchdown last week. On Saturday, he delivered the biggest play of his career, streaking untouched for a 75-yard score that put UNC back in front right after Pitt had reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter. In a game full of big Tar Heel moments against the Panthers, it instantly joined the list with Ryan Switzer’s 2013 punt return and Bug Howard’s last-second catch in 2016.
Belichick said Easter is difficult to defend because he’s "part receiver, part tight end," and Edwards put the ball where it had to be. The coach had told his team all week that they were the faster group and needed to play that way.
"That play encapsulated a lot of what he said in the meetings this week," Edwards said.
Pitt still had three chances after Easter’s touchdown, but every one of them ended the same way: turnover on downs. The Panthers finished 0-for-4 on fourth down and scored on only two of their first three possessions before managing just one touchdown over their final nine drives.
Holden Geriner started quickly for Pitt, completing 15 of his first 20 throws for 99 yards. After that, UNC’s defense tightened the screws.
Geriner went 12-of-24 for 120 yards the rest of the way and threw two interceptions. One came early in the third quarter, when Pitt was trying to move ahead by two scores.
Faced with a fourth down at the UNC 23-yard line, Geriner was blitzed by Peyton Seelmann and lofted a pass that Greg Smith III tracked down in the end zone.
That was one of four times UNC kept Pitt off the board after the Panthers had crossed the UNC 35-yard line.
"Our job on defense is about points," Belichick said. "You can talk about yards and time of possession, but I don't see where that's up on the scoreboard."
The Tar Heels also had to do it shorthanded. Isaiah Johnson and Jaylen Harvey were already out up front, and once the game started, the secondary took hits too. Kaleb Cost left on Pitt’s opening drive, and Tre Miller was injured while returning his third-quarter interception.
Even with all that movement, UNC found a way to win another tight game with defense. Xavier Lewis said the backups were ready when called, and he backed it up with a career-high 12 tackles.
"We have lots of great guys behind us, and they're ready to step up," said defensive lineman Xavier Lewis, who made a career-high 12 tackles. "When their number was called, they were ready to step up and make big plays for us."
The Tar Heels had been clear after the losses to Clemson and Notre Dame that they weren’t carrying the past into the next week, and Saturday gave them another chance to show that mindset in action. It also sends them into another major test next week in Durham, something Belichick pointed to as he wrapped up his on-field interview with ESPN after the win.
In Other News...
Kaleb Cost Injury Overshadowed UNC Win For One Scary Reason
UNCs 21-17 win at Pittsburgh came with an unsettling scene late in the game when defensive back Kaleb Cost went down after colliding with a concrete wall behind the end zone. The impact sent his helmet flying into the crowd, turning a routine football play into a scary moment for everyone nearby and briefly overshadowing what should have been a hard-earned road victory for the Tar Heels.
Cost had to leave with trainers and was ruled out after the injury, but the concern did not stop with the player on the field. Medical personnel also assisted a fan who appeared to be struck by the helmet, adding another layer of worry to an already alarming sequence that left UNC with a win, and a lot of unease, to sort through afterward. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Finally Has Momentum But Two Problems Still Havent Gone Away
North Carolina finally had something to feel good about after snapping a two-game skid with a 21-17 win over Pittsburgh, a result that offered a much-needed reset after a rough stretch. The Tar Heels got timely plays on both sides of the ball, with Shipp leading the offense with six catches for 93 yards and Smith and Geriner each coming up with interceptions to help tilt a close game their way.
Even with the victory, the bigger concerns around this team did not disappear. The rushing attack still struggled to generate much, and the defense had its own issues against the Panthers on the ground, allowing 150 rushing yards that kept Pittsburgh in the game far longer than North Carolina probably wanted. The win provides momentum, but it also leaves the same questions hanging over the Tar Heels as they move ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Isaiah Denis Just Gave UNC Fans A Reason To Reconsider Him
Isaiah Denis spent much of last season on the margins because of injury, but his showing in UNCs exhibition win offered a reminder of why the staff has kept investing in him. In 20 minutes under new coach Michael Malone, Denis scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and knocked down two 3-pointers, giving the Tar Heels a burst of production from a player whose role has been far from settled.
Denis said the game carried extra weight for him, and his performance seemed to reflect a player trying to answer questions about where he fits in the programs future. Malones trust and coaching style were part of the equation, and he also praised Denis for his development and for sticking with the team through coaching changes, a small but meaningful sign of buy-in as UNC settles into a new era. [Read more 🡒]