Football
By MITCHELL NORTHAM
Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Eli Holstein threw for a career-best 381 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score as Pittsburgh beat North Carolina 34-24 on Saturday for its first 5-0 start since 1991.
Holstein completed 25-of-42 passes, while also rushing for a team-high 76 yards to lead the Panthers (5-0, 1-0 ACC). Running back Desmond Reid complimented Pitt’s offensive attack on the ground and in the air as he racked up 210 yards of total offense on 29 touches.
“We’ve got a hell of a football team,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “You know, offensively, they got a good football team. They moved it, but our guys bowed up on fourth down. Just a heck of a team win, and great effort by our guys.”
In the third consecutive loss for UNC (3-3, 0-2), Omarion Hampton paced the Tar Heels with 106 yards rushing and a score.
Pitt drove deep into UNC territory midway through the first quarter with the aim of taking a two-possession lead, but an errant pass from Holstein was picked off by Tar Heels’ sophomore defensive back Kaleb Cost, who sprinted 84 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
The turning point proved to be in the fourth quarter when – after the Panthers took a seven-point lead on a 3-yard rush from Holstein – Pitt stopped UNC on a fourth-and-1 in the red zone and responded with an 18-play, 73-yard drive that chewed 7:07 off the clock. A 37-yard field goal from Ben Sauls gave the Panthers a double-digit advantage with 2:01 to play.
To seal the win, Pitt’s Kyle Louis sacked UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell on a fourth-and-2.
UNC was 2 of 6 on fourth-down conversions.
“We didn’t think we were…
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