The North Carolina Tar Heels ended a two-game losing streak in Week 6 with a 21-17 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers.
While the win matters most, the all-around performance left much to be desired, especially in the first half. That included quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who went through ebbs and flows all game long. With that in mind, here is an assessment of the veteran quarterback's outing on Saturday in the Tar Heels' first win over a top-25 team since 2023.
Edwards Jr.'s Stat Line
The Wisconsin transfer completed 18-of-26 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the win. Throughout the season, Edwards Jr. has been reluctant to challenge the defense vertically. That was the case for most of the first half, except for one play where he connected with Jordan Shipp for a 49-yard gain. The pass was underthrown. Regardless, Edwards Jr. threw for 9.6 yards per attempt, the second-highest mark of his season.
That said, the six-year veteran quarterback left plenty of opportunities on the field, and there's just not enough good to outweigh the bad. Even more so, for the second straight game, Edwards Jr. threw two interceptions. He got away with those mistakes on Saturday because Pittsburgh's starting quarterback was Holden Geriner. Mason Heintschel is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. If the sophomore quarterback was available, we could be talking about a whole different outcome.
Who Helped Edwards Jr. the Most?
With Edwards Jr. at quarterback, the Tar Heels' target share has been significantly consolidated to a few players. This was clear in Week 6, when 12 of Edwards Jr.'s 18 completions went to two players. However, North Carolina received major contributions from an unexpected player who has scored touchdowns in consecutive games.
- Jordan Shipp: six receptions for 93 yards
- Shamar Easter: one reception for 75 yards and one touchdown
- Jelani Thurman: six receptions for 29 yards and one touchdown
Though no fault of his own, Shipp's production in the first three games of the season was somewhat underwhelming. Over the last two games, the junior wide receiver has caught 13 passes for 202 yards. Shipp has yet to score a touchdown this season, but once again, that's more on the quarterback. Meanwhile, Easter's 75-yard touchdown turned out to be the game-winning score for North Carolina. Thurman's yardage output was subpar, but he added another touchdown to his tally.
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