Pitt Holds Off No. 16 Georgia Tech in Road Win

The Pitt Panthers needed a win against No. 16 Georgia Tech if they wanted even a chance of accomplishing the No. 1 preseason goal. And they got it done.

Pitt knocked off Georgia Tech, 42-28, at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta on the back of strong performances from true freshmen Mason Heintschel and Ja'Kyrian Turner - and a timely pick-six from Braylan Lovelace.

Heintschel completed 20-of-27 pass attempts for 226 yards and three total touchdowns, Turner rushed for a career-high 186 yards and a touchdown and the defense made just enough stops to secure a massive win.

A Dream First Half

After a quick punt on the first offensive possession, things couldn't have gone much better for the Panthers.

Heintschel fired a pair of touchdown passes, one to Kenny Johnson and one to Justin Holmes, and Turner ran roughshod on the Georgia Tech defense - a trend that carried over throughout the first half.

The defense forced just the third interception of the season by Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, yet another play by Kavir Bains-Marquez, and made life hard for him and the Yellow Jackets running backs. It didn't change in the second quarter.

Heintschel led the Panthers to a fourth straight touchdown drive to open the second frame, capped by a nice quarterback option to spring him for an easy 1-yard rushing score. Just like that it was 28-0.

Pitt Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel — Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) throws a pass against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech finally found the end zone, electing to go for it on fourth-and-short in the red zone, and a couple of plays later, King dove into the end zone from a few yards out.

Georgia Tech built some momentum off their first score. A short punt from Caleb Junko, combined with a facemask on the play, gave the Yellow Jackets the ball at the Pitt 30. And capitalized with an 8-yard touchdown strike to GT wideout Isiah Canion.

Sam Carpenter missed a 35-yard field goal at the end of the half.

Pitt Hangs On for the Win

Just when it looked like Georgia Tech was really building some momentum, following a punt on the Panthers' first offensive possession, a Lovelace interception at the Pitt goal line turned the game on its head. Lovelace raced 100 yards back to the end zone, untouched, in a huge 14 point swing.

Georgia Tech got the ball back, decided to go for it on fourth down near midfield and King's pass fell incomplete. Still, the Yellow Jackets continued to hang around.

It took until the midway point of the fourth quarter for Georgia Tech to find the end zone, a touchdown dive from King that needed to be reviewed. And the Jackets really put pressure on the Panthers after Narduzzi decided to fake a punt on fourth-and-9 from his own 41.

Georgia Tech took advantage of the short field and another touchdown toss to Canion turned it into a one possession game.

Despite the extremely questionable decision to fake the punt, Pitt did enough to hang on. The Panthers put the ball in the hands of its young stars, and a huge third down conversion by Heintschel set up Turner for a game-sealing 56-yard touchdown.

A turnover on downs following the two minute timeout sealed the pivotal win for the Panthers.

What's Up Next?

Pitt has just one more game left in the regular season, and once again, it's a must-win when it comes to conference title hopes.

Pitt will host No. 13 Miami at Acrisure Stadium in Week 14, and if the Panthers win, and either SMU or Virginia loses, they will clinch a berth in the ACC championship game.

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