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North Carolina – Pittsburgh: Tar Heels upset No. 23 Panthers to take control of ACC Coastal

By Michael Collins

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The North Carolina – Pittsburgh football game had never seen before implications, with both teams looking to control the ACC Coastal, and both on winning streaks.

The Tar Heels and Panthers weren’t the teams most experts picked to be sitting atop the ACC Coastal division in Week 8, but the knot tied between those two and the Duke Blue Devils at the top would need some untying.

Step one was the head-to-head meeting between North Carolina and No. 23 Pitt, with the Tar Heels coming in on a six-game winning streak, and the Panthers on a four-game streak of their own. Neither team had lost an ACC contest this year, so something was going to have to give.

Pittsburgh gave first, as they allowed the Tar Heels to score on their first four possessions, running up a 20-3 lead at halftime over the Panthers on the way to a 26-19 win at Heinz Field.

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The Pitt defense finally showed up in the second half of the game, but UNC quarterback Marquise Williams had already done the damage in one of his best games as a Tar Heel, throwing for 270 yards, two touchdowns and running for another 52 yards.

Neither team turned the ball over, but it was the North Carolina defense who came up big when Pitt advanced into the red zone, holding them to two field goals until late in the third quarter.

Both teams must still play Duke, who has also yet to lose an ACC game, so the Coastal Division is far from settled at this point. Next up for UNC is a home game against No. 22 Duke, which will have huge ACC implications, while the Panthers will welcome No. 9 Notre Dame.

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