Record breakers and history makers, Pitt football takes down North Carolina

Pitt (5-0, 1-0 ACC) left Chapel Hill victorious for the first time in school history with a 34-24 win over ACC opponent North Carolina (3-3, 0-2 ACC). The last time Pitt started 5-0 was 1991.

Redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein finished with 381 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. The breakout star connected on 60% of his throws while rushing for 76 yards and a touchdown. Holstein is the first Pitt quarterback to win his first five starts since Dan Marino in 1979 and broke the record for most passing yards in a game by a first-year.

Junior running back Desmond Reid recorded 155 yards through the air on 11 catches and 55 yards on the ground from 18 carries. Senior wide receiver Konata Mumpfield caught three balls for 111 yards.

For North Carolina, junior running back Omarion Hampton recorded 106 yards rushing on 23 carries and a touchdown. This marks Hampton’s 14th consecutive 100-yard game.

In the first quarter, the Panthers came out to an early lead. In Pitt territory on fourth down, Holstein found Reid for a risky conversion. With that momentum, Holstein tossed a 43-yard completion down the sideline to Mumpfield. North Carolina’s goal-line stand held Pitt to a field goal, giving Pitt an early 3-0 lead.

After applying enough pressure on North Carolina graduate student quarterback Jacolby Criswell to force a third down holding call, Pitt’s defense forced a three-and-out.

After a promising first drive, Pitt struggled to care for the football early. Sophomore wide receiver Kenny Johnson muffed a punt and a handoff from Holstein but recovered both fumbles. On third-and-five, Holstein targeted the flat for a first down, but North Carolina sophomore cornerback Kaleb Cost undercut the route and took his interception 84 yards for a touchdown. North Carolina led 7-3 with 6:44 left in the first quarter.

Pitt’s offense answered with a rare three-and-out after the turnover. Senior running back Rodney Hammond Jr., Pitt’s leading rusher last season, saw his first snaps of the year after head coach Pat Narduzzi declared him eligible on Thursday.

The Panthers went 0/4 on third down, and North Carolina led 7-3 after the first quarter.

Pitt’s second defensive stand was as tough as possible. North Carolina converted on fourth down twice en route to a 19-play drive to Pitt’s nine-yard line. Trying to complete the hat trick, Criswell passed on fourth down for his third time on the drive, but tight coverage by Pitt redshirt junior Javon McIntyre forced the ball to land out of bounds. After their longest drive of the season, North Carolina walked away with zero points.

With more than enough time to gameplan on the sideline, Holstein found Reid for a 72-yard reception. Two plays later, Holstein found junior wide receiver CJ Lee for Pitt’s first touchdown and took a 10-7 lead with 10:20 in the second quarter. In just over a quarter of play, Pitt output 191 yards of offense.

North Carolina got into the red zone for the second series in a row. After forcing an incompletion on third-and-12, the Tar Heels tied the game at 10-10 with a field goal.

Holstein scrambled and slid but took a violent shot to the head by North Carolina junior defensive back Will Hardy, which drew a flag. On third-and-nine, Holstein found Reid in the flat for a 23-yard gain and Reid got some payback, lowering his shoulder into Hardy. Holstein then found Poppi Williams Jr. for a 30-yard touchdown increasing their lead 17-10.

With the half winding down, Hampton showed why several NFL scouts were in attendance to see him play. On his fifth positive rush of the drive, Hampton dove in from three yards out for North Carolina’s first offensive touchdown tying the game 17-17 to end the half. Holstein passed for 261 yards in the first half, putting the Alabama transfer on pace for a 500-yard day.

Mumpfield, Pitt’s leading receiver, continued to show his connection with Holstein. On third-and-11, Holstein threw across his body 46 yards to a sliding Mumpfield two yards short of the endzone. A play later, Holstein found Reid in the flat, who dove out and barely pushed the ball across the goal line, extending Pitt’s lead 24-17.

Four gains of double-digit yards brought North Carolina back to the red zone. Criswell then tied the game 24-24 with 2:07 left in the third quarter.

After letting North Carolina tie the game again, Pitt needed to create some separation. Holstein exploded for two scrambles of 20-plus yards, which previewed a three-yard rushing touchdown, extending Pitt’s lead 31-24.

After a big play by defensive leaders sixth-year linebacker Brandon George and redshirt sophomore Kyle Louis, Pitt’s offense had the ball back in its hands.

Deep in his territory, Holstein executed an 18-play, 73-yard drive into North Carolina’s red zone that took more than seven minutes off the clock. Redshirt senior kicker Ben Sauls, who hasn’t missed a place kick this season, then knocked in a 37-yard try to extend Pitt’s lead to 34-24 with just over two minutes left.

Down two scores with 1:11 left, a fourth-and-two left the Tar Heels no choice. Any energy the home crowd tried to send Criswell was zapped by Pitt’s closer, Louis, who sacked Criswell on fourth-and-two and ended the game.

This iteration of Pitt football continues to make history and break records. The stars continue to make plays when plays need to be made. Multiple third-and-long conversions and fourth-and-long stops, a sack to close the game and a circus catch to guarantee points on the board highlighted a day where the Panthers’ best players stepped up.

Pitt hosts Cal next week to continue their dive into ACC play with an undefeated record.