How Pitt Looked Ahead of Next Week’s Game vs NC State
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RALEIGH — NC State sat at home during a much-needed open date while the rest of its future opponents duked it out in ACC play over the weekend. The Wolfpack's next opponent, the Pitt Panthers, continued their stretch of incredibly impressive play.
Pitt dominated Syracuse in a 30-13 victory on the road in the JMA Wireless Dome. The Panthers have won of each of their last three games, all since inserting true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel into the starting role.
The Wolfpack no doubt paid significant attention to Pitt's efforts in Central New York over the weekend and head coach Dave Doeren will be looking to stay undefeated against the Panthers since his tenure in Raleigh began back in 2013.
Slow Day For Heintschel
Syracuse did a much better job than Boston College or Florida State did in containing Heintschel, holding the freshman to just 143 yards passing and intercepting him once. However, the quarterback proved he could be a dynamic threat on the ground as well and scampered for a 36-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
NC State has struggled against mobile quarterbacks all season, with Virginia's Chandler Morris and Virginia Tech's Kyron Drones doing significant damage against the Wolfpack defense by extending plays and using their legs. Heintschel will be the latest potential candidate to create some struggles for DJ Eliot's unit.
Mason Heintschel had one P4 offer: Pitt.pic.twitter.com/QG2qrSvKzX
— RJ Sepich (@RJSepich) October 18, 2025
Heintschel dominated in his first two games, but some regression was due for the true freshman. In the wins over FSU and Syracuse, he's proven to be slightly more turnover-prone. NC State came away with an interception in the loss to Notre Dame, proving the defense can come up with takeaways despite a slow season in that department.
Strong Defensive Showing... Again
In two of Heintschel's three starts, Pitt's defense has held the opposition to 13 points or less. The Florida State game was the lone outlier there, as the Seminoles were essentially fighting for their ACC lives in that game. The Panthers allowed just 212 yards of total offense in the win over the Orange.
The Panther defense turned the Orange over three times with three interceptions. Head coach Pat Narduzzi and his defensive staff had Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins on edge the entire game and limited him to just 131 passing yards. Pitt is plus in turnover margin on the season and on a per-game basis, while NC State has struggled in that regard, especially on the road.
Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey has thrown six of his seven interceptions on the road with a pair of three-interception performances in losses to Duke and Notre Dame. The sophomore will need to protect the ball much more effectively to have a chance against the Panthers.
Special Teams Strength
Special teams has been a major irritation for NC State head coach Dave Doeren throughout the season. Unfortunately for the NC State unit, Pitt is coming off a game in which the final blow that put the game out of reach was a punt returned for a touchdown.
Pitt wide receiver Kenny Johnson took a Syracuse punt 66 yards a little before halftime, creating an insurmountable 17-7 lead for an anemic Orange offense.
Kenny Johnson returns the punt 66 yards for a TD, giving PItt a 17-7 lead at the half pic.twitter.com/1HrkCQWdgc
— The off-season (@TheOffSeasonCFB) October 19, 2025
While the Wolfpack woes have been more of the ball-catching variety, the team has committed some costly penalties and outkicked its coverage a handful of occasions during the season. Pitt is the type of team that will make you pay for mistakes in the special teams phase of the game, so the Pack will need to hope the bye week alleviates some of those issues.
Doeren did find his punt returner in the win over Campbell two weeks ago, as Terrell Anderson proved to be a much stronger option than freshman Teddy Hoffmann. After leaving the Notre Dame game with an injury, Anderson should be back in the lineup after the open week against the Panthers.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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