Pitt heads to Boston College on Saturday trying to steady itself after last week’s loss, and it’ll do so with Holden Geriner still in charge at quarterback.
The Panthers enter Chestnut Hill at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC, looking to start a new streak after their unbeaten run ended in a 21-17 home defeat to North Carolina. They’re also chasing their sixth straight ACC road win dating back to last season.
Geriner, a fifth-year quarterback, remains the starter after sophomore Mason Heintschel tore his ACL at Virginia Tech two weeks ago. Heintschel had been part of a Pitt offensive explosion in a 48-7 win over Boston College on Oct. 4, 2025, when the Panthers piled up 503 yards.
Against North Carolina, Geriner was sharp early. He completed 71% of his passes in the first half, didn’t turn it over and threw for 99 yards.
The second half told a different story. He was intercepted twice, and Pitt couldn’t finish drives late, turning the ball over on downs three straight times to close the game.
Still, he finished 27 of 44 for a career-high 219 yards while Pitt also forced two turnovers and held North Carolina to just 20 rushing yards.
"(Starting Geriner is) still the plan moving forward," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. "You get too much rotation, then you got problems.
We got a ton of confidence in Holden. ... I didn't quite see what I wanted to see in the second half, but that's football."
Boston College comes in at 2-3 and 0-2 in the ACC after a bye week following a 25-16 loss at then-No. 21 SMU on Oct.
- The time off gave the Eagles a chance to recover after 53 players battled the flu the week of the trip to Dallas.
One possible boost is linebacker Bodie Kahoun, a Notre Dame transfer who has reappeared on the depth chart for the first time since leaving the Week 2 game against Rutgers.
"I think he probably has a good chance to play," Boston College coach Bill O'Brien said of Kahoun.
Boston College was still in the game against SMU behind Mason McKenzie, who threw for 208 yards and recorded his first two-touchdown game of the season. SMU’s five sacks helped take away some of his dual-threat threat, though he still managed 74 yards on 21 carries, including a 40-yard run.
Kahoun had made a quick impact on a Boston College defense that has forced eight turnovers and ranks second in the ACC by allowing 164.6 passing yards per game.
Pitt’s offense, meanwhile, has been rolling on a bigger scale. The Panthers are averaging 459.8 total yards per game and have thrown 17 touchdown passes.