Billy Edwards Jr. didn’t just deliver North Carolina a win on Saturday - he flipped the game in one snap.
After Pitt nudged in front 17-14, Edwards answered immediately with the kind of play that changes everything, firing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Shamar Easter down the seam. That strike put the Tar Heels back on top for good in a 21-17 upset of No. 25 Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium, and it also gave Bill Belichick his first win over a ranked opponent at North Carolina.
North Carolina improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, and the victory checked off a couple of notable boxes for the program. It was the Tar Heels’ first win over a ranked team since beating No.
25 Miami in 2023, and their first ranked road win since knocking off No. 9 Miami in 2020.
Edwards finished 18 of 26 for 249 yards, with touchdown throws to Easter and Jelani Thurman and two interceptions. He also helped set the tone with the deep ball that broke Pitt’s momentum. Demon June added a rushing touchdown, while Jordan Shipp was a steady target with six catches for 93 yards.
Pitt had chances to answer late, but North Carolina’s defense held when it mattered. Holden Geriner, making his first collegiate start, completed 27 of 44 passes for 219 yards and two interceptions for the Panthers, who fell to 5-1 and 2-1 in the conference.
Geriner, a fifth-year senior and transfer from Auburn, got the start because sophomore Mason Heintschel is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in last week’s win over Virginia Tech. The Panthers had one especially costly miss when Geriner’s fourth-down throw sailed to a wide-open Cataurus Hicks and was dropped. Later, Pitt turned the ball over on downs at the North Carolina 21 as the comeback bid faded.
La’Vell Wright scored twice on the ground for Pitt, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Panthers unbeaten in league play.
The setting carried its own significance for Belichick, who was back at Acrisure Stadium for the first time since the New England Patriots’ 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 7, 2023. He went 8-3 there as an NFL head coach, including victories in two AFC Championship Games.
Saturday also included a solemn tribute before kickoff. There was a moment of silence before the national anthem, followed by a video tribute after the first television timeout honoring Mike Ditka, the Pitt All-American who died Friday at 86. Pitt also marked the 50th anniversary of its 1976 national championship team.
Ditka starred at Pitt as a three-sport standout, leading the Panthers in receiving as a tight end from 1958-60 while also playing defensive end and punter. The school retired his No. 89 jersey in 1997.
For North Carolina, the game was a step beyond last week’s close call against Notre Dame, when the Tar Heels came up just short in the second half. This time, they finished the job.
Pitt will try to regroup when it visits Boston College on Oct. 17.
North Carolina heads to Duke on Oct. 17.
In Other News...
Pitt Suddenly Has A Brutal Question After Its First Loss
Pitts 5-0 start ran headlong into a harsh reality Saturday in a 21-17 loss to UNC, a game that turned once star quarterback Mason Heintschel went down with a season-ending injury. The Panthers were still in position to keep things together early, and the defense gave them chances, but the offense never found a steady rhythm after the injury and the rushing game faded as the afternoon wore on.
Holden Geriner was thrust into the spotlight in his first collegiate start and gave Pitt a workable first half, completing 15 of 21 passes for 99 yards before the game began to slip. What followed left the Panthers with a far bigger concern than one loss, because the margin for error at quarterback just shrank dramatically and now the team has to figure out how to steady an offense that suddenly looks a lot less certain. [Read more 🡒]
Kaleb Cost Injury Overshadowed UNC Win For One Scary Reason
A late-game injury to North Carolina defensive back Kaleb Cost briefly shifted attention away from UNCs 21-17 win at No. 25 Pitt, and for reasons that had little to do with the scoreboard. Cost was hurt after colliding with a concrete wall behind the end zone, a jarring moment that sent him out of the game with trainers and left both sidelines dealing with the immediate aftermath.
The sequence also created a tense scene in the stands, where Costs helmet flew into the crowd and medical personnel later assisted a fan nearby. UNC has not yet offered a diagnosis on Cost, leaving the football fallout from the night unresolved even as the Tar Heels left Pittsburgh with a road victory. [Read more 🡒]
Pitt's First Loss Put Holden Geriner Under An Early Spotlight
Holden Geriner stepped into Pitts quarterback job in a difficult spot and got a full dose of ACC pressure in his first career start, a 21-17 loss to North Carolina. The redshirt freshman handled a heavy workload, going 27 of 44 for 219 yards, and the Panthers gave him chances to settle in as the game tightened late.
The night also brought the kind of growing pains that tend to follow a first start, with Geriner throwing two interceptions along the way. Pat Narduzzi still came away sounding encouraged about what comes next, saying he believes Geriner has a chance to keep building from the outing as Pitt moves ahead after its first defeat. [Read more 🡒]