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Pittsburgh Panthers at Boston College Eagles

Oct 17, 202611:00 AM CTESPN2Chestnut Hill, MA
By JR·3 min read
25Pittsburgh(5-1)
Boston College(2-3)
11:00 AM

TLDR: Pittsburgh went 5-1 in a hurry, and then the quarterback who got them there went down. Saturday, October 17 in Chestnut Hill is the first real look at whether the Panthers are still a contender or just a team that had a good September, against a Boston College team that is still looking for its first ACC win.

SAT 10/17, 11:00 AM CT · Week 7ESPN2
25Pittsburgh
(5-1)
LWWWW
Boston College
(2-3)
LLWWL
Kickoff 64°

Pitt comes to Chestnut Hill at 5-1, but its starting quarterback Mason Heintschel is reportedly out for the season, and backup Holden Geriner threw interceptions on the last 4 possessions of the 21-17 loss to North Carolina. Boston College is 2-3 and winless in the ACC, but it's coming off a bye week, and its losses have come from penalties and protection breakdowns more than from a lack of talent. Pitt has the better roster, BC has the extra rest, and the game probably turns on whether Geriner can protect the ball.

Pittsburgh Panthers
  • Defense held UNC to 21 points without its starting QB
  • Already won a close road game at Virginia Tech
  • 4-1 over the last 5, including a 59-0 rout
  • Heintschel reportedly lost for the season with a torn ACL
  • Geriner threw 4 straight interceptions in his first start
  • WR Knight still out, no timetable
Boston College Eagles
  • Coming off a bye, extra week to prepare
  • McKenzie's deep shot to Dickens worked early at SMU
  • Only 1 start of film on Geriner to prepare for
  • 11 penalties at SMU, including 4 false starts
  • RB MacCormack III and TE Clough both out
  • 0-2 in the ACC, offense hasn't topped 28

Everything here runs through the Pitt quarterback room. Mason Heintschel left the 35-33 win at Virginia Tech with a leg injury. SI's Pitt site has since reported it as a torn ACL that ends his season, which is a step past the questionable tag still on the injury report. Before he went down, the sophomore had 1,304 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 1 interception in 5 games. Fifth-year senior Holden Geriner got the start against North Carolina, and that's who Boston College should expect to see.

Geriner's first start went badly. Pitt lost 21-17 at home to the Tar Heels, and he threw interceptions on each of the Panthers' last 4 possessions. That was the difference in a game Pitt had every chance to win. The defense held UNC to 21 and still lost, so in Chestnut Hill the question is whether the offense can stop giving the ball away, not whether the defense holds up. Wide receiver M. Knight is still out with no timetable, which leaves a backup quarterback with 1 fewer target.

Boston College has the opposite problem: a quarterback who's playing fine and a team that keeps beating itself. Mason McKenzie hit running back Evan Dickens for a 43-yard touchdown early at SMU, and BC led 10-6 after the first quarter. Then it fell apart. BC committed a season-high 11 penalties, including 4 false starts, and between the protection breakdowns and a dropped ball on a wide-open throw, SMU's big plays took over and the Eagles lost 25-16. Bill O'Brien didn't sugarcoat it afterward: "We're not in the business of losing. We're in the business of winning, and we're not winning."

The schedule helps the home team. BC had a bye week on October 10 while Pitt was playing North Carolina, so the Eagles get 2 weeks to clean up the pre-snap mistakes and prepare for a quarterback with exactly 1 start of film. Pitt gets a normal week to figure out what to do about the interceptions. That kind of rest gap matters more than usual when one team just lost its starter.

25Pittsburgh Panthers
(5-1)
10/10LvsNorth Carolina17-21
10/02W@Virginia Tech35-33
09/26WvsBucknell59-0
09/17WvsSyracuse27-13
09/12WvsUCF12-7
Boston College Eagles
(2-3)
10/03L@24SMU16-25
09/26LvsVirginia Tech14-21
09/19WvsMaine22-16
09/11WvsRutgers28-21
09/05L@Cincinnati15-34

The two résumés aren't close. Pitt went 4-1 over its last 5, and that includes a 59-0 win over Bucknell and a 27-13 win over Syracuse. All of those games came with Heintschel at quarterback. BC is 2-3, with home wins over Rutgers and Maine, and 0-2 in the ACC after losing to Virginia Tech at home and at SMU. The Eagles' offense hasn't topped 28 points all year. Virginia Tech is the one opponent both teams have played: Pitt won a shootout there, and BC scored 14 against the Hokies at home.

BC is short-handed too. Running back B. MacCormack III is out for an extended stretch with a shoulder injury, and tight end B. Clough has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. The forecast a week out says mid-60s with a chance of drizzle and almost no wind, and that can change before Saturday. A wet ball wouldn't help a quarterback who just threw 4 straight interceptions. This one comes down to whether Geriner can make it through 4 quarters without turning it over and whether BC can stop committing penalties for 60 minutes. Each team has a clear weakness, and the winner will probably be the one that manages its own better.

Pittsburgh Panthers at Boston College Eagles — Pitt Brings Its Backup QB Problem to Chestnut Hill | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush