North Carolina upsets No. 25 Pittsburgh to earn Belichick first ranked win

The North Carolina Tar Heels secured a 21-17 road victory against No. 25 Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium, marking head coach Bill Belichick’s first win over a ranked opponent at the collegiate level.

After trailing 10-0 early, UNC mounted a comeback fueled by quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who completed 18-of-26 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. The decisive play was a 75-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to tight end Shamar Easter in the fourth quarter. Other key contributors included running back Demon June, who scored a touchdown, and wide receiver Jordan Shipp, who recorded 93 receiving yards.

Pittsburgh, led by backup quarterback Holden Geriner in his first collegiate start, struggled with missed opportunities, including three failed fourth-down conversions in the final minutes. Following the game, Belichick maintained his characteristic bluntness, noting that the team’s first-quarter performance was ‘worse’ than the subsequent struggles, and humorously signaled the team’s focus on their upcoming rivalry game against Duke.