PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns, and North Carolina scored the final touchdown of the game to defeat Pittsburgh 21-17 on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. Edwards completed 18 of 26 passes for the Tar Heels, who improved to 3-2. Pittsburgh dropped to 5-1. The Bowl Division game drew an announced attendance of 51,416.

Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the first quarter when La’Vell Wright rushed left for a 2-yard touchdown. Antonio Chadha added the extra point. The Panthers extended their lead in the second quarter on Chadha’s 41-yard field goal. North Carolina answered before halftime when Edwards connected with Jelani Thurman for a 7-yard touchdown. Rece Verhoff made the extra point. Pittsburgh had a chance to add more points before the break, but Chadha’s 56-yard field goal attempt was no good.

North Carolina took the lead in the third quarter on Demon June’s 1-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds remaining in the period. Verhoff’s kick made it 14-10. Pittsburgh regained the advantage early in the fourth quarter when Wright scored again, this time on a 1-yard run. Chadha’s extra point put the Panthers ahead 17-14 with 12:47 remaining. The lead lasted only 11 seconds. Edwards found Shamar Easter deep down the right side for a 75-yard touchdown, and Verhoff’s extra point gave North Carolina a 21-17 lead it did not relinquish.

Edwards, a 6-foot-3, 207-pound quarterback from Burke, Va., was the game’s top performer. His 249 passing yards and two touchdowns paced an offense that finished with enough explosive plays to overcome Pittsburgh’s pressure. Edwards had thrown for 208 yards and three touchdowns in North Carolina’s previous game against Notre Dame. Against the Panthers, he spread the ball to multiple receivers and delivered the decisive strike to Easter just after Pittsburgh had taken its final lead.

Easter finished with one catch for 75 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Shipp led the Tar Heels with six receptions for 93 yards. Thurman added six catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. C.J. Sadler had two receptions for 20 yards and one tackle. Trech Kekahuna caught two passes for 16 yards and returned two punts for 6 yards. Benjamin Hall rushed 12 times for 25 yards and caught one pass for 16 yards. Demon June carried six times for 15 yards and scored a touchdown. Jaylen McGill also appeared in the backfield for North Carolina. Aeron Burrell punted six times for 221 yards.

North Carolina’s defense made several key stops. Derek McDonald recorded 12 tackles. Xavier Lewis also had 12 tackles and added half a sack. Greg Smith III posted eight tackles and an interception. Peyton Seelmann finished with eight tackles. Leroy Jackson added seven tackles. Timir Hickman-Collins had six tackles and half a sack. Peyton Waters contributed five tackles. Jaziel Hart had one tackle, and Kaleb Cost recorded one tackle.

Pittsburgh’s offense was led by Holden Geriner, who completed 27 of 44 passes for 219 yards. Geriner, a 6-foot-3, 212-pound quarterback, kept the Panthers in the game with short and intermediate throws, but Pittsburgh could not produce another score after Wright’s second touchdown. Wright finished with nine carries for 45 yards and three receptions for 18 yards, scoring two touchdowns. Damon Ferguson Jr. rushed 15 times for 49 yards and caught five passes for 17 yards. Ja’Kyrian Turner carried five times for 27 yards. Justin Cook added three carries for 15 yards. Censere Lee had one run for 2 yards and one reception for 6 yards. Tony Kinsler had one run for 13 yards and one tackle.

The Panthers’ receiving corps was productive in the loss. Carson Kent caught seven passes for 61 yards. Malik Knight had three receptions for 62 yards. Cataurus Hicks recorded six receptions for 50 yards, returned four punts for 33 yards and made one tackle. Bryce Yates caught two passes for 5 yards. Tyreek Robinson returned two kickoffs for 33 yards. Gabe Russo punted three times for 103 yards.

Pittsburgh’s defense received a heavy workload and was led by Cruce Brookins, who made 11 tackles. Alex Sanford Jr. had five tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Jeremiah Marcelin added five tackles. Cole Woodson contributed three tackles and an interception. DeMarco Ward had three tackles and one sack. Isaiah Neal recorded three tackles. Raion Strader made three tackles. Nick James had three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Sean FitzSimmons finished with three tackles. Shawn Lee Jr. had four tackles. Braylan Lovelace posted two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Jaeden Moore had one tackle and one sack. Shadarian Harrison intercepted a pass. Zion Ferguson, Kanye Thompson and others also appeared on defense for Pittsburgh.

North Carolina’s win gave the Tar Heels a needed conference road victory and moved them above .500. Pittsburgh entered the game with momentum after winning its first five games, but the Panthers could not close out a tight fourth quarter. The game featured six scoring plays, including four touchdowns and one field goal that counted, plus a missed 56-yard field goal attempt by Pittsburgh before halftime. North Carolina’s final touchdown came immediately after Pittsburgh had taken its last lead, flipping the result in a matter of seconds.

The Tar Heels are scheduled to return to action Saturday at Duke. Pittsburgh is set to visit Boston College Saturday. North Carolina will then host Syracuse, Miami and Louisville later in the season. Pittsburgh will host Georgia Tech and Florida State after its trip to Boston College. Both teams remain in the thick of their conference schedules.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Pittsburgh 41, North Carolina 23. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Pittsburgh with an 87.1 percent probability to win. North Carolina had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +3.5. The over/under line was 46.5, and the total score finished at 38.