North Carolina didn’t make it pretty on Saturday, but it made it count.
The Tar Heels left Pittsburgh with a 21-17 win over No. 25 Pitt, and even with plenty to clean up, the result checks a big box for Bill Belichick’s team: the first ranked win under Belichick and the first ranked road win since 2020. More importantly, it keeps the bowl-game path looking very realistic.
The game turned on a defense that looked a lot like the unit that opened the season against TCU. Pittsburgh came out attacking the Tar Heels’ banged-up front on the ground and working the soft spots in coverage, and the Panthers piled up 213 yards of offense in the first half, including 114 rushing yards.
But North Carolina bent without fully breaking. Pitt managed only 10 points on its four first-half drives despite moving the ball effectively.
That patience from the defense paid off in the second half, when the pressure finally started to show. The Tar Heels’ undermanned defensive line began to fight back, and Pitt was held to just 36 yards on 15 carries over the final two quarters, a 2.4 yards-per-carry clip.
Geriner had moments when he was accurate, but the added pressure started to throw him off, and that led to shaky throws, including back-to-back interceptions in the third quarter. Then came the closing sequence: three straight fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter to seal it, capped by a 4th & 2 stop on Pittsburgh’s penultimate drive when Tar Heel tacklers brought La’Vell Wright down inches short.
Billy Edwards’ day was a familiar mix of good and dicey.
He finished 69% on his passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, but there were plenty of tense moments along the way. For the second straight week, Edwards threw two interceptions and put a few other balls in harm’s way.
Still, the touchdowns mattered, and they mattered a lot. North Carolina needed both of them, and Edwards continues to look like the quarterback who gives the Tar Heels their best shot to win, even if the ride is anything but smooth.
The passing game kept leaning on the same trusted targets, and they kept answering.
Jordan Shipp caught six of nine targets for 93 yards, with four of those catches moving the chains. Jelani Thurman finished with six grabs for 29 yards and provided Edwards a steady outlet throughout the day.
His touchdown was a huge one, too, because it helped wake up the offense after a slow start. It’s obvious Edwards has a strong level of trust in both players, and until defenses take them away, North Carolina has every reason to keep feeding them.
Shamar Easter also delivered the kind of play that can change how much a team trusts a player going forward.
With Pittsburgh having just reclaimed the lead at 17-14, North Carolina answered by throwing on first down. Easter ran a seam route, found enough separation, and Edwards put it on him.
From there, Easter turned upfield and outran the Pittsburgh secondary for the go-ahead score. That touchdown gave the Tar Heels the lead back for good and added another layer to what Easter has become in this offense.
He entered the year with a limited expected role after the Tar Heels added Thurman, Jordan Washington and Jaxxon Warren through the portal, but injuries to Washington and Warren opened the door. Now he’s beginning to look like a legitimate third option Edwards can rely on.
The biggest concern, though, was the run game, and it nearly sank the whole thing.
North Carolina ran it 25 times for just 20 yards, and in the fourth quarter alone the Tar Heels managed only 17 yards on 10 carries. The offense had chances to put the game away late and couldn’t do it because the ground game was completely bottled up.
According to David Hale of ESPN, North Carolina is the first team since Washington in 2023 to win a Power 4 game with 20 or fewer rushing yards. That kind of stat tells the story.
The defense and passing game did enough here, but the Tar Heels are going to need far more from the run game if they want to keep winning, and the offensive line has to take a big share of the blame.
It wasn’t clean, but it was enough. And in late October, that’s what North Carolina needed.
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 🡒]