PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers comfortably handled the NC State Wolfpack 53-34 in Acrisure Stadium.
This game was full of touchdowns, explosive plays and records broken for the Panthers. Mason Heintschel was a huge part of the historic game with 423 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Pitt moved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC, placing itself in sole possession of third place in the conference.
The banged-up Panthers defense made a statement on the opening drive. NC State fed Hollywood Smothers twice, but Pitt only allowed two yards and forced a three-and-out.
Kenny Johnson had a 26-yard return to start Mason Heintschel and the Panthers’ offense on the Wolfpack’s side of the field. The true freshman completed 3-of-4 pass attempts for 45 yards, and his 29-yard pass to Blue Hicks put Pitt on the goal line.
Ja’Kyrian Turner punched in the 1-yard score two plays later to give the Panthers an early 7-0 lead.
Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Ja’Kyrian Turner (25) scores a one yard touchdown against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pitt’s defense forced a second consecutive three-and-out, and Pitt’s offense was facing the same result until a review found that NC State had too many men on the field. Desmond Reid had a 17-yard run to keep the drive alive.
A 22-yard completion between Heintschel and Raphael “Poppi” Williams, and a pass interference call on the Wolfpack put Pitt at the NC State 18-yard line. But the drive stalled three plays later, and Pitt settled for a 34-yard field goal from Trey Butkowski.
NC State finally got its offense going with a 24-yard catch and run to Smothers and a 17-yard gain by Terrell Anderson. The Wolfpack found the end zone two plays later with a 25-yard connection between CJ Bailey and tight end Justin Joly.
Heintschel and Johnson connected four times for 67 yards on the following drive, and Pitt reached the 2-yard line at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter began with two touchdowns in as many plays. Reid began the quarter with a 2-yard rushing score to give Pitt a 17-7 advantage, but Smothers answered in one play with a 65-yard touchdown run for NC State. Those were two of five touchdowns scored in the quarter.
Heintschel evaded a sack on third down of Pitt’s next possession and hit Censere Lee for his first target in nearly a year, but he dropped it, and the Panthers were forced to punt. The Wolfpack gained just 17 yards before having to punt for the third time in the half.
It was all Mason Heintschel on the next drive. He went 5-for-6 with 82 yards and a tipped touchdown pass to Williams. Heintschel also had a carry for eight yards on the drive.
HOW’D HE STAY WITH IT 🤯 @Poppi1k @mason_heinch06 finds Poppi for the seven-yard TD!
Pitt 24, NC State 14 pic.twitter.com/kQ33gG2rR3
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) October 25, 2025
Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Raphael Williams Jr. (5) catches a touchdown pass against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
NC State fell victim to its third three-and-out of the first half. The Wolfpack nearly intercepted an errant pass from Heintschel, but instead, Pitt went three-and-out as well.
The Wolfpack then subbed out Bailey for the 6-foot-1, 230-pound backup quarterback, Will Wilson, who had a 15-yard rush on third down. NC State ran a double pass on the next play and drew open Joly for a 59-yard touchdown and his second score of the game.
Joly was injured on the play and had to limp the final 15 yards of his score to cut the deficit to three.
Pitt retained possession with 3:20 remaining in the half and drove 75 yards in nine plays. The drive started with a run by Reid and a facemask penalty drawn by Reid. Reid rushed one more time, and Henintschel completed five of his next six pass attempts for 49 yards and a 10-yard touchdown to Johnson.
Heintschel finished the first half with 280 passing yards, two touchdowns and a 68% completion percentage, and Johnson had seven catches for 112 yards and one score, as Pitt led 31-21.
Pitt received the second half kickoff and drove 43 yards in 10 plays to set up a 41-yard field goal from Butkowski. NC State then suffered its fourth three-and-out of the contest and quickly returned the ball to the Panthers.
The Panthers then capitalized by making history with the longest Pitt passing touchdown in Acrisure Stadium history and tying the record for the longest passing score in program history with an 84-yard touchdown connection between Heintschel and Hicks.
LONGEST PANTHER PASSING TOUCHDOWN IN @AcrisureStadium HISTORY ✍️
Pitt 40, NC State 21 pic.twitter.com/0FbbwB1MPD
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) October 25, 2025
Cameron Lindsey forced Bailey to fumble on a scramble, and Rashad Battle recovered it on the NC State 49-yard line. The Panthers drove 32 yards in seven plays and settled for a 35-yard field goal from Butkowski.
The Wolfpack refused to punt for a sixth time and instead opted to go for it on fourth down, but failed to convert. Pitt couldn’t capitalize on the short field with a touchdown again and settled for another field goal. Butkowski knocked in his fourth field goal of the game and broke Ben Sauls’ record for most consecutive field goal conversions, with 16-straight makes.
NC State attempted to go for it on fourth down again and did not convert again.
Heintschel hit Turner for a gain of four to end the third quarter, and that play made Heintschel the first Pitt true freshman quarterback to pass for over 400 yards and the first Pitt quarterback to eclipse that many yards in a game since Kenny Pickett in 2021.
Butkowski attempted a 48-yard field goal to begin the final quarter, but missed wide left to end his historic streak.
NC State put together a nine-play scoring drive where it drove 70 yards and capped the drive with a 30-yard touchdown from Bailey to Teddy Hoffmann. Pitt then matched the score with a seven-play, 43-yard drive that was capped by a 6-yard Turner rushing score.
The Wolfpack failed to convert on another fourth down and Eli Holstein replaced Heintschel at quarterback. His first pass was intercepted by Tristan Teasdell and returned to the 30-yard line.
NC State quickly drove down to the 2-yard line after four plays and 68 yards. Bailey then found Noah Rodgers for a touchdown, and then failed the two-point conversion to seal the 53-34 win for Pitt.
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