Mason Heintschel Leads Pitt to Dominant Win Over Boston College

PITTSBURGH - Mason Heintschel didn't look scared in his first collegiate start. In fact, he looked more like a fifth-year senior in his 50th start.

Heintschel was sensational in his first college start, completing 30-of-41 pass attempts for 323 yards with four touchdowns, in a 48-7 rout against Boston College today at Acrisure Stadium. Heintschel received the start over Eli Holstein, and in his first true game action, he showed exactly how good offensive coordinator Kade Bell's offense can look with a cool, collected quarterback.

The Panthers picked up 503 yards of offense, converting 8-of-16 third downs (30 total), went 7-of-7 in the red zone (including six touchdowns to six different players) and thoroughly overwhelmed Boston College on both sides of the football.

Heintschel went 4-of-4 for 29 yards, adding 16 yards on two carries, to lead the Panthers to an opening possession touchdown drive. After converting just one first down against Louisville, the offense picked up two on the opening drive alone.

Oct 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) scrambles with the ball against the Boston College Eagles during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The sustained drive resulted in a read option 14-yard touchdown toss to Justin Holmes.

Heintschel threw an absolute dart to Blue Hicks in the end zone from 37 yards out, a perfectly placed pass into Hicks' outstretched arms, but a hold on Justin Holmes (and two unsportsmanlike calls on Hicks and Poppi Williams) moved the Panthers back into a 1st-and-35. Still, a 42-yard drive ended with a 31-yard Trey Butkowski field goal. 10-0, Panthers.

Boston College appears to be on its way to answering, converting a 3rd-and-9 to tight end Jeremiah Franklin, but after rolling through an initial tackle attempt, Kyle Louis ripped the football out and recovered it himself.

The turnover didn't result in any points, but the next drive did. The Panthers drove the field, helped by another defensive pass interference called drawn by Blue Hicks, and decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 in the red zone.

Credit Bell with a nice design, getting Kenny Johnson open in space. Heintschel rolled out, hit Johnson in the flat and watched him race 12 yards to the end zone.

The reinvigorated offense, working in tandem with a dominant defensive performance, scored twice more to end the half:

A 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard Juelz Goff touchdown dive.

A 6-play, 62-yard drive that resulted in a 6-yard Ja'Kyrian Turner touchdown - capping a perfect two minute drill.

Louis forced a fumble in the first half, and Rasheem Biles matched him a forced fumble of his own - rocketing out of the backfield to sack Lonergan and knock the ball free. Jimmy Scott jumped on the ball, and Heintschel took advantage. He capped a short field drive with a 10-yard touchdown toss to Deuce Spann in the back of the end zone. 38-0, Panthers.

The dominant all-around performance continued as Shadarian Harrison picked off recently inserted BC quarterback Grayson James (his first career interception), and Heintschel led yet another scoring drive. He hit Zion Fowler-El over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown (Fowler-El's first career touchdown), and the rout continued as Trey Butkowski nailed a career-high 47-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. 48-0, Panthers.

Holstein even got into the game late, leading the second team offense late in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles got on the board late, a 3-yard touchdown reception by Boston College wideout Kaelen Chudzinski, but it was far too little, far too late in a 48-7 win by the Panthers.

Pitt improves to 3-2 (1-1 ACC), and the Panthers will hit the road next week for a matchup vs. Florida State in Tallahassee. It's a big test for the new-look Panthers squad.

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