For the first time in Pitt football history, the Panthers emerged as victors at Kenan Stadium Saturday afternoon, defeating North Carolina 34-24 in their ACC opener.
In seven previous trips to Chapel Hill, the Panthers had remained winless.
Led by quarterback Eli Holstein and running back Desmond Reid, Pitt is now 5-0 for the first time since 1991. The Panthers are ranked, No. 22, for the first time since 2022.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s big win.
• Eli Holstein again showed great poise in a tough environment: Holstein is three weeks shy of his 20th birthday, but continues to show the poise and maturity of a much older player. North Carolina scored its first touchdown of the day when Kaleb Cost intercepted Holstein and returned the ball 84 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tar Heels a 7-3 lead midway through the first quarter.
It was the biggest mistake of Holstein’s young collegiate career, but he was able to shake off the early mistake and lead the Panthers to victory yet again.
Trailing by seven, North Carolina turned it over on downs deep in Pitt territory in the fourth quarter. Reid was dropped for a two-yard loss on first down, giving the Panthers a second-and-12 at their own 6-yard line. Holstein dropped back into the shadow of the Pitt end zone, stepped up in the pocket, and delivered a 17-yard strike to Censere Lee. He showed no fear on the play, trusted the offensive line and the receiver and moved the chains. It would be an impressive play for any quarterback to make, let alone a redshirt freshman playing in just his fifth game. The drive ended with a Ben Sauls field goal to give Pitt a two-score lead with 2:01 remaining in the game.
Holstein threw three touchdowns and rushed for another. He led the Panthers with 76 rushing yards on 10 carries in addition to completing 25 of 42 passes for 381 yards. It just may be enough for Holstein to earn ACC rookie of the week honors for the fifth time.
• Desmond Reid is electric: We might run out of words to describe Reid’s play if he keeps this up for the entire season. Reid again proved to be “Weapon X” for the Panthers, leading the team with 155 receiving yards and adding 55 rushing yards.
Reid had another highlight reel play when he caught a 19-yard pass over the middle from Holstein and streaked down the field for a 72-yard gain. The play set up Pitt’s first touchdown of the day.
Every time Reid touches the ball, there’s a chance for an explosive play and opposing defenses have yet to figure out how to stop the 5-foot-8, 175-pound tailback.
• The defense played better than the stats indicate: The defense allowed 420 yards, but only two touchdowns – and the unit made stops when it mattered. After the Panthers allowed two fourth-down conversions early in the game, they stopped North Carolina four straight times on fourth down. The first three times, the offense turned the ensuing drives into points.
The final fourth-down stop came when Kyle Louis sacked Jacolby Criswell for a 12-yard loss with just over a minute remaining, allowing the offense to get into victory formation.
Louis’ sack was the only one for the Panthers, but they were credited with 11 quarterback hurries and were in Criswell’s face even more than that. Sean FitzSimmons returned from injury and accounted for three quarterback hurries in his first game action of the season, already providing a boost to the interior defensive line.
The unit also held North Carolina to 5 of 15 on third downs.
The defense wasn’t perfect, but it was an encouraging performance as the Panthers began ACC play.
• The “fixers” came through again: Coach Pat Narduzzi recently referred to linebackers Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles, along with strong safety Donovan McMillon as “the fixers” on defense, saying those three are the guys who clean up for everyone else. That was the case again Saturday. McMillon led Pitt with 10 tackles, with Louis and Biles right behind him with nine and eight, respectively.
McMillon saved a touchdown in the second quarter after Omarion Hampton got loose for a 20-yard gain. McMillon was the last line of defense against Hampton, and his tackle saved four points, as the Tar Heels would settle for a field goal on the drive.
Biles had two pass breakups and 1.5 tackles for a loss, while Louis had the game-sealing sack and 2.5 TFLs.
It was another noteworthy performance for the trio of fixers.
• This Pitt team could be for real: It’s still early, but Pitt is playing some good football. The offense is one of the best in the country, the defense is playing complimentary football, and Sauls is basically automatic. The team is still flawed, but they’ve played well enough to overcome mistakes and deficiencies. The Panthers have stepped up in big moments and again in all three phases of the game. The Panthers believe in each other and their coaches.
The ACC looks wide open, and it would be foolish to discount Pitt at this juncture. Only time will tell what story the Panthers are writing this season.
