When Pat Narduzzi and Kade Bell opted to turn to then-true freshman Mason Heintschel at quarterback last season, the decision could have easily blown up in their faces.
It was a bold move. Eli Holstein was being benched with the Panthers at 2-2, and it was anyone’s guess as to how Heintschel would or would not rise to the occasion.
“We could have looked like total idiots,” Narduzzi recalled.
But ultimately, Heintschel validated his coaches’ move almost instantaneously, as he threw for over 300 yards and four scores Oct. 4, 2025, in his first collegiate start.
Just over a year later, the Panthers are in the midst of more musical chairs at quarterback, but this time, no such easy transition has transpired.
Granted, the circumstances are much different than in 2025.
Last year, Holstein was benched due to poor performance, while Heintschel tore his ACL on Oct. 2 vs. Virginia Tech.
Pitt had a veteran but inexperienced backup in Holden Geriner, who initially got the call to relieve Heintschel at Virginia Tech, leading the Panthers to a win in the immediate aftermath of losing their starting quarterback.
But Geriner failed to inspire much confidence in a 21-17 Panthers home defeat to North Carolina on Oct. 10, leading Narduzzi to turn to true freshman Corey Dailey on Saturday at Boston College.
Less than 30 seconds into the game, after Dailey threw his first pass for a 75-yard touchdown, it looked as if the Panthers may have managed to turn lemons into lemonade for the second straight year in discovering unexpectedly that a young, backup quarterback was up to the task.
However, after Dailey’s first throw, his execution tailed off considerably, deviating significantly from the steadiness Heintschel displayed in his first career start and beyond last year.
In short, with a road trip to a top-5 Miami Hurricanes squad upcoming next weekend, Narduzzi’s decision as to who to start under center appears clouded.
“We’ll look at the videotape and see what we did well, what we didn’t, and what gives us the best chance to go down to Miami and get a win down there against a top-10 football team,” Narduzzi told 247Sports Saturday postgame. “We wanted to find out what Corey had. You never know until you put him out there.”
Versus Boston College, Dailey finished 11 of 25 (44%) for 119 yards, a score and two interceptions.
Following his first-play long touchdown, Dailey went 10 of 24 with 118 yards over the game’s final 59 minutes, 42 seconds.
Narduzzi must compare that to Geriner’s outing vs. UNC, in which Geriner was 27 of 44 for 219 yards, no touchdowns and two picks.
There is also the long-term consideration of Geriner playing in his final season of collegiate eligibility, while Dailey could be in the quarterbacks room at Pitt for more years to come.
Whether getting Dailey maximum experience as Heintschel navigates a long road to recovery will factor into Narduzzi’s decision remains to be seen.
But following back-to-back losses, Pitt’s quarterback situation is only the tip of the iceberg for a team seemingly at risk of imploding following a 5-0 start.
Big plays let up by Pitt’s secondary were tolerable warts in the 35-33 win over Virginia Tech, when Heintschel was lost.
A week later, the Panthers surrendered two more crippling long passes to the Tar Heels, both of which preceded touchdowns in an eventual four-point loss.
The performance of Pitt’s secondary sank even deeper Saturday at Boston College, as an Eagles offense that entered the game last in the ACC in passing threw for 295 yards.
Quarterback Mason McKenzie, while throwing two interceptions, had completions of 53 and 69 yards to Landon Wright.
He hit Javarius Green and Johnathan Montague for separate gains of 23 yards.
Crippling Pitt’s defense all afternoon was third-down effectiveness, as Boston College converted 8 of 13 tries.
Tellingly, when turning to the pass on third down, the Eagles moved the sticks on 6 of 7 tries, gashing Pitt for 89 yards.
“They got after our safety a couple times for two explosives,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to get reroute(d) on them. … We’ve got to react better, we’ve got to play better and they made plays that we didn’t.”
Penalties also cast a long shadow over Pitt’s attempts to leave Chestnut Hill, Mass., with a win.
On the day, the Panthers were flagged 13 times for 133 yards.
Seven were holding calls (five offensive, two defense), another two were facemasks, three were defensive pass interference whistles, while Pitt also had an illegal block in the back penalty.
Three penalties gifted Boston College a first down, two of which — pass interference calls on Shawn Lee and Shadarian Harrison in the end zone — set the Eagles up with a fresh set of downs deep in Panthers territory.
In under a week, the Panthers will travel to face arguably their most talented opponent on the 2026 schedule.
Between now and then, Pitt’s coaches and players have significant recalibrating to do.
“There’s a lot of football to be played,” Narduzzi said. “We got a lot of ball to play right now. We’ll go down and play a great Miami team and just take one game at a time. We’re not going to look in the rearview mirror. Our guys will stick together as a family like we always do, and we’ll fight.”