Easter’s 75-yard strike and late stops give UNC a 21–17 upset at Pitt

Shamar Easter needed one play to erase Pitt's fourth-quarter lead. North Carolina's defense needed three more stands to make that answer hold up.

Easter caught Billy Edwards Jr.'s 75-yard touchdown pass with 12:36 remaining Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, putting the Tar Heels ahead for good in a 21–17 victory over No. 25 Pitt. North Carolina improved to 3–2 overall and 1–1 in the ACC; the Panthers fell to 5–1 and 2–1 after their first loss of the season.

The result gave Bill Belichick his first college victory against a ranked opponent. It was UNC's first ranked win since beating Miami in 2023 and its first such road victory since 2020, according to the team's recap and the Associated Press.

Pitt had gone ahead 17–14 just 11 seconds before Easter's touchdown, on La'Vell Wright's second rushing score. Edwards then found the tight end down the seam on Carolina's first snap of the next possession. The lead changed twice without a prolonged exchange of drives.

From there, Carolina forced a punt and stopped three consecutive Pitt fourth-down attempts. That included a stop after an Edwards interception had given the Panthers another chance inside the final seven minutes. The Tar Heels won despite Pitt's 369–269 advantage in total offense and 150–20 edge on the ground.

Edwards completed 18 of 26 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Jordan Shipp caught six passes for 93 yards, Jelani Thurman caught the other touchdown pass, and Demon June's short scoring run had briefly put UNC ahead late in the third quarter.

Holden Geriner finished 27 of 44 for 219 yards and two interceptions in his first collegiate start for Pitt. The Associated Press reported that he replaced Mason Heintschel, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the previous week's win over Virginia Tech.

Carolina had trailed 10–0 before Edwards found Shipp for a 49-yard gain on the drive that produced Thurman's touchdown. The Tar Heels went into halftime down 10–7. That recovery kept the fourth-quarter exchange within reach, even while the Panthers controlled much of the possession.

Greg Smith III helped protect that margin in the third quarter. After Pitt intercepted Edwards and took over at the Carolina 31, Smith picked off Geriner in the end zone. It was Smith's third interception of the season, according to UNC's recap.

Carolina visits Duke next Saturday. It heads into that rivalry with a conference win secured by an explosive pass and a defense that refused to let Pitt turn its final opportunities into points.