Pitt is turning to Holden Geriner at quarterback for its Oct. 10 matchup with North Carolina, and the fifth-year senior will be making the first start of his college career.
The move comes after sophomore Mason Heintschel suffered an ACL tear in the third quarter against Virginia Tech and is out for the rest of the season. Heintschel had been piling up records early in the year, so the loss lands hard for the Panthers even after they escaped Blacksburg with a narrow win and improved to 5-0, good for the final spot in the AP Top 25.
Geriner was brought in from Texas State to bring veteran stability to the room, but his background has taken a winding route. He spent three seasons at Auburn, one at Texas State, and then arrived at Pitt for his fifth year. His first career touchdown pass came against Bucknell, and he also saw action in the fourth quarter against Miami (Ohio).
Against Virginia Tech, Geriner took over after Heintschel left and finished the game 8-for-12 for 78 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception and was not sacked. At first, offensive coordinator Kade Bell kept things grounded on the ground, but as the game tightened up, Geriner was given more room to operate.
That performance gave Pitt reason for confidence, even with a few other young quarterbacks on the roster. Geriner handled the pressure, and now the Panthers are asking him to do it again in a bigger role.
The timing at least works in Pitt’s favor. The Panthers return home for their fifth home game of the season, and North Carolina comes in at 0-1 in ACC play after losing to Clemson. The Tar Heels opened the year with a win over TCU, then lost a tight one to Clemson, and most recently fell to Notre Dame, 37-26, in a game that was more competitive than Pitt’s outing against the Fighting Irish.
Pitt remains one of just three undefeated teams in the ACC, both overall and in conference play. Losing Heintschel lowers the ceiling, but the Panthers have already shown they can keep winning as a group.
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