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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina lost its third consecutive game Saturday after the Tar Heels allowed Pittsburgh 520 total yards in a 34-24 loss at Kenan Stadium.

UNC allowed way too many explosive plays and couldn’t get off the field on third down in dropping to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the ACC. The Panthers improved to 5-0 and 1-0.

Here is how it happened:

*Pitt’s first possession, the Panthers faced 4th-and-2 at its 43-yard-line and converted on a 7-yard pass play. The next snap Pitt connected on a 43-yard pass play to the UNC 7. The Panthers ended up settling for a 24-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 11:36 left in the quarter.

*Pitt was marching toward the end zone on its second possession when Kaleb Cost interception Eli Holstein’s pass and returned it 84 yards for a TD. PAT was good, UNC 7, Pitt 3 with 6:44 left in the quarter.

*UNC moved 81 yards on 19 playing using more than 9 minutes but came up empty when it opted to got for it on 4th-and-2 at the Pitt 9. But an incomplete passes ended the possession.

*Pitt responded using a 72-yard pass play setting up a 7-yard TD pass for a 10-7 lead with 10:20 left in the half.

*UNC responded with a 10-play drive that included two 20-yard plays and a 15-yard play, but ended with a 34-yard field goal by Noah Burnette making it 10-10 with 6:57 left in the half.

*And just like that, Pitt went five plays, including one that went 23 yards, and got into the end zone on a wide open 30-yard TD catch and run. The PAT made it 17-10 Panthers with 5:41 left in the half.

Note: Over each team’s last 2 possessions, UNC ran 29 plays scoring just 3 points, Pitt ran 10 plays scoring 14 points

*The Tar Heels moved the ball for a third consecutive series going 73 yards on 10 plays paced by Omarion Hampton who carried the ball on the last four plays of the drive, including runs of 14 and 10 yards, and then he powered over from 1 yard out for the TD. The PAT was good making it 17-17 with 42 left before halftime.

Note: UNC ran 28 plays to Pitt’s 17 in the second quarter.

*The Panthers scored first in the second half using a 46-yard pass play to UNC’s 1-yard-line before crossing the goal line a few snaps later. The PAT was good making it Pitt 24, UNC 17 with 8:58 left in the quarter.

*The back-and-forth nature of the game continued, as the Heels went 61 yards on 11 plays capping the drive with an 11-yard TD pass from Criswell to John Copenhaver on a 3rd-and-goal play. The PAT was good moving the score to 24-24 with 2:07 left in the quarter.

Note: To this point, UNC has had 8 possessions and four of them have gone at least 10 plays

*A Panthers drive that started in the third quarter ended when Holstein ran the ball into the end zone from 3 yards out for a 31-24 Pitt lead with 12:44 remaining. Key plays on the drive were Holstein picking up 24 and 20-yard runs and Pitt converted all three of its 3rd-downs on the drive.

*Pitt’s longest drive of the game took 18 plays and went 73 yards using 7:07 off the clock ending in a field goal for a 34-24 lead with 2:01 remaining. The Panthers converted two more third downs on the drive, making them 8-for-10 in the second half.