Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Tar Heels have a chance for a key road win against a team which is making a quarterback change.
When Carolina takes the field in Pittsburgh tomorrow, it won’t be outstanding sophomore quarterback Mason Heintschel who takes the first snap for the Panthers. Heintschel tore the ACL in his right knee last weekend, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. Holden Geriner, who replaced Heintschel during Friday’s win at Virginia Tech, appears to be the next man up. After being used sparingly at Auburn and Texas State, Geriner is projected to make his first career collegiate start against the Tar Heels.
Carolina fans have seen their fair share of unheralded backup quarterbacks come in and lead their teams to victory against UNC, most recently Tait Reynolds and Clemson. The fans certainly hope history doesn’t repeat itself, but Tar Heel head coach Bill Belichick took a similar tack earlier this week when discussing Geriner and Pitt as he did when scouting Reynolds and the Tigers in September.
“When you watch [Geriner] come in the game, you don’t see the offense change much,” Belichick said Monday at the Kenan Football Center. “He does what they do. He makes good, quick decisions. You can tell he’s experienced. [He took] advantage of some of the looks that he got in those games.”
But these are Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt Panthers, and the identity of that coach and that program will always start with defense. Pitt once again fields a strong defense in 2026, and quarterback Billy Edwards noted that strength starts in the trenches.
“They’re gonna pressure the quarterback, but they do a very good job of playing sound football as a defense overall,” Edwards said. “You can look at them and maybe say when they pressure they’re a little bit more on the aggressive side, but I think they’re very sound at what they do… They’re 5-0 for a reason. I don’t know what, statistically, they are on defense, but they haven’t lost a game for a reason. We’re gonna have our hands full offensively to go out there and know what they’re doing, have a good gameplan and go out there and execute it.”
A quick scan of the ACC’s online statistics page shows the Panthers rank No. 5 in the ACC in total defense and No. 2 in rushing defense. The Pitt secondary has also picked off five passes this season, and is no doubt licking its lips at a Carolina passing attack which has thrown three picks in its last two games.
On the other side of that equation, UNC managed to move the ball more effectively against an elite Notre Dame defense than any other team had so far this season. The Tar Heels have already put together three touchdown drives of at least 90 yards this year, including one against the Irish. But Edwards knows the key to eventually turning those moral victories into actual results starts with more consistency — namely, eliminating the two interceptions that turned into 14 Notre Dame points.
“There’s no more big question marks of the scheme. Everybody knows the intent,” said Edwards. “Now it’s just how we can go out there and execute it, and that starts with me in terms of making sure the play call’s communicated right in the huddle. Getting us in the right run check, getting us in the right protection, and going out there and making the throws to the receivers. As you saw Saturday, the receivers did a great job. Jelani [Thurman], Shamar [Easter], the tight ends did a great job getting open, especially against man coverage. The plays are there to be made, and we’ve just gotta make them a little bit more.”
The positives to take from Saturday’s loss against Notre Dame were obvious: if UNC can move the ball on the Irish, it can move the ball on anyone. Jelani Thurman showed himself to be a matchup problem for even the best defenders, and Jordan Shipp recorded his first 100-yard game. But the only way the Tar Heels can make last Saturday a turning point is by actually winning some football games.
Pitt and its backup quarterback await in the Steel City.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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