North Carolina got its first signature win of the Bill Belichick era Saturday afternoon, beating No. 25 Pittsburgh 21-17 at Acrisure Stadium. It was the first win against a ranked opponent for Belichick, who took over the Tar Heels program before the 2025 season.
UNC (3-2, 1-1 ACC) took the lead for good on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Billy Edwards Jr. to Shamar Easter with 12:36 to play.
The Tar Heels then turned to their defense, forcing a punt and turning the Panthers over on downs three times – once at the UNC 21 and once at the 31. Pittsburgh (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season after jumping into the Top 25 following a nail-biting win at Virginia Tech.
How it happened
Pitt, playing without starting quarterback Mason Heintschel (ACL injury), took a 10-0 lead when La’Vell Wright scored on a 2-yard run with 9:49 left in the first quarter and Antonio Chadra hit a 41-yard field goal midway through the second.
The Tar Heels got on the board before halftime with a Edwards-to-Jelani Thurman touchdown pass covering seven yards. That made the score 10-7 Pitt at the break.
Demon June’s one-yard rushing touchdown with 22 seconds left in the third put UNC ahead for the first time, 14-10. But the lead didn’t last long. The Panthers paid off a seven-play 75-yard drive with another Wright short-yardage TD run early in the fourth.
It took just one play for UNC to surge back ahead. On the first play after the kickoff, Edwards hit Easter, who was off to the races for the Heels’ longest scoring play of the season.
UNC overcame two interceptions from Edwards, including one in the fourth quarter that put Pitt at the Tar Heels’ 41. But new Pittsburgh quarterback Holden Geriner threw incomplete on fourth and 2 on that drive, and the defense stiffened throughout the final quarter.
Key Names and Numbers
- Billy Edwards (UNC): 18-of-26, 249 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
- Holden Geriner (Pitt): 27-of-44, 219 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs
- Jordan Shipp (UNC): 6 catches, 93 yards
- Derek McDonald, Xavier Lewis (UNC): 12 tackles and 1.0 tackles-for-loss each; McDonald had six solo stops
- Greg Smith III, Tre Miller (UNC): 1 interception each, with Smith returning his 25 yards and Miller 18
- La’Vell Wright (Pitt): 9 carries, 45 yards, 2 TDs; 3 catches, 18 yards
- Cruce Brookins (Pitt): 11 tackles, 8 solo stops
- Alex Sanford Jr. (Pitt): 2.5 tackles-for-loss, 1 sack
- Pittsburgh outgained North Carolina by 100 yards (369-269) and had 10 more first downs (23-13)
- UNC only managed 20 yards rushing against a defense that averaged giving up less than 55 yards per game.
- Pitt dominated time of possession, 36:32 to 23:28
What’s Next for UNC?
North Carolina has played unbeaten teams the past two weeks in Notre Dame and now Pittsburgh. The Heels’ next opponent, Duke, entered this Saturday with a 4-0 record heading into its game at Georgia Tech.
The UNC-Duke game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 on ESPN2.
👉 Who else won on Saturday? View our North Carolina College Football Scoreboard
