After the Pitt Panthers' star quarterback Mason Heintschel was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, it was obvious the expectations for this team would have to be adjusted. Though Pitt won that game against Virginia Tech, in which Heintschel was injured, ACC play was just heating up.

Pitt started Texas State transfer Holden Geriner, a fifth-year, at quarterback the following week against North Carolina, which ended in a 21-17 loss. Though Geriner was good when he stepped in against Virginia Tech, against North Carolina he went 27-of-44 on pass attempts and threw two interceptions. He also overthrew or missed wide-open targets.

For the second year in a row, Pitt decided to go with their true freshman quarterback against Boston College in the next game. Corey Dailey, a four-star recruit from Seguin, Texas, made his first college start on the road in Chestnut Hill.

Dailey's first throw was a 75-yard bomb to Blue Hicks for a touchdown, which ended up being the team's last touchdown of the game. Dailey went 11-of-25 on pass attempts, throwing for 193 yards and two interceptions in the game.

Pitt lost to Boston College 27-21 to be 5-2 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. It's unlikely that any other quarterback on the roster will be given a shot, so the coaching staff will choose either to stick with the fifth-year player or the true freshman.

Pitt's 2024 season saw them go 7-0 before an injury to quarterback Eli Holstein derailed it and they ended the season 7-6; that was another season where they lost a lot of one-possession games. As the ACC schedule gets harder from here, Pitt needs to at least try to end the season bowl-eligible.

Pros & Cons

Neither quarterback had great performances in their starts, but each do offer different things.

Geriner showed his veteran experience, being able to make much quicker reads on screen passes and check downs. His biggest weaknesses were his mobility and deep shots, with his longest pass against North Carolin being a 40-yarder to wide receiver Malik Knight that was more to the sideline than on the field. Geriner also rushed for -1 yard and took two sacks.

As a true freshman touted for his athleticism, Dailey was a lot more mobile in his first start. Though he only rushed for nine yards, one of them was an eight-yard gain for a clutch first down. He also took just one sack.

While Dailey can throw the ball deeper than Geriner, he did have worse dry spells. Dailey didn't complete a pass in the second quarter and went 3-for-8 in the third. He threw for 65 yards in the fourth, but was never able to score with multiple opportunities in the redzone.

Three of Pitt's remaining five opponents-Georgia Tech, Florida State and Cal-lost as well on Oct. 17. The other two, Louisville and undefeated Miami, are both going to be very tough road games for the Panthers.

It's looking pretty dire as Pitt heads down to 6-0 Miami, but putting up a decent fight against the Hurricanes can show the state that the Panthers are in.