UNC Stuns No. 25 Pitt 21-17 Behind Shamar Easter's 75-Yard Touchdown

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — North Carolina delivered one of its biggest wins of the young Bill Belichick era Saturday, defeating No. 25 Pittsburgh 21-17 at Acrisure Stadium after a 75-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Billy Edwards Jr. to Shamar Easter.

UNC entered the game having lost its previous two contests, including a home defeat against No. 3 Notre Dame. Pitt entered unbeaten at 5-0. The Tar Heels fell behind 10-0 early but stayed within striking distance, then made the decisive play immediately after the Panthers retook the lead in the fourth quarter.

Pitt opened the scoring on La'Vell Wright's two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and extended the advantage with Antonio Chadha's 41-yard field goal in the second. UNC responded when Edwards connected with Jelani Thurman for a seven-yard touchdown with 5:32 left before halftime. The Tar Heels trailed 10-7 at the break.

The visitors went ahead late in the third quarter on Demon June's one-yard touchdown run, finishing a 10-play, 51-yard drive that made the score 14-10. Pitt answered early in the fourth when Wright scored again from a yard out, moving the Panthers in front 17-14 with 12:47 remaining.

That lead lasted only 11 seconds of game clock. On the first play of UNC's ensuing possession, Edwards found Easter deep down the right side for a 75-yard touchdown. Rece Verhoff's extra point made it 21-17, a lead North Carolina preserved through the final minutes.

Edwards finished with 249 passing yards on 18 completions in 26 attempts, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions. Jordan Shipp led UNC receivers with 93 yards, while the Tar Heels managed just 20 net rushing yards on 25 attempts. Pitt outgained North Carolina 369-269 and collected 23 first downs to UNC's 13, making the outcome particularly notable given the visitors' limited rushing production.

North Carolina's defense helped offset that imbalance by intercepting Pitt quarterback Holden Geriner twice. Geriner completed 27 of 44 attempts for 219 yards, and Pitt's ground game produced 150 yards. The Panthers could not turn their yardage advantage into enough points to protect the late lead.

The result improves UNC to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in ACC play, while Pitt drops to 5-1 and 2-1 in the conference. For Belichick's Tar Heels, the victory is a significant answer after a difficult stretch against ranked opposition. Next comes an in-state ACC trip to Duke on October 17, adding another high-profile matchup to UNC's October schedule.