No. 21 Pitt and North Carolina met at Heinz Field for a primetime Thursday night tilt with major implications in the ACC Coastal race, and the Panthers rose to the occasion, sending the Tar Heels home with a 30-23 loss.
Pitt was aggressive early on, as Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett led the team all the way down the field to the North Carolina six-yard line, where Pitt opted to go for it on fourth-and-one but failed to convert. However, the Pitt defenders were ready for the opportunity in front of them, and they responded by forcing a three-and-out that ended with SirVocea Dennis taking down Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell for a drive-killing sack on their one.