UNC rises to the moment, beats Pitt 26-19

North Carolina had wasted opportunities like this one, squandered them – given them away, almost. Not on Thursday night, though. Not during a 26-19 victory at Pittsburgh.

UNC built a 20-3 lead in the second quarter, led 20-6 at halftime and then relied on its suddenly stout defense – a season after fielding one of the worst defenses in school history – to finish with a win that’s among the most important of coach Larry Fedora’s four-season tenure.

UNC has now won seven consecutive games and is alone in first place atop the ACC’s Coastal Division. If Duke beats Miami on Saturday, UNC and Duke on Nov. 7 would likely meet as ranked teams for the first time since 1939.

Turning point

Pitt’s defense had Marquise Williams sacked early in the second quarter. But then he escaped and heaved a long throw down field to Ryan Switzer, who made the reception and scored on a 71-yard touchdown that gave the Tar Heels a 10-3 lead. The play was the signature moment of UNC’s dominant first half

Three who mattered

Ryan Switzer: The West Virginia native loves playing against Pitt, and he made the most of the opportunity again, finishing with 126 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Junior Gnonkonde: UNC’s junior defensive end finished with four quarterback hurries and one sack, and led a defensive line that accounted for two of UNC’s four sacks.

M.J. Stewart: The sophomore cornerback seemed at times everywhere defensively for UNC. Had a sack, six tackles and broke up three passes.

Three key numbers

3 Penalties on Thursday night for the Tar Heels, who committed a season-high 13 of them last week in a win over Virginia.

4 Sacks for UNC, which entered Thursday night with only six sacks in its first seven games.

8.6 Yards per play in the first half for UNC, which scored on its first four drives and built a 20-3 lead.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 10:16 PM with the headline "UNC rises to the moment, beats Pitt 26-19."