Mason Heintschel could not have had a much better start to the 2026 college football season. The sophomore Pitt quarterback led the Panthers to a one-sided win over the Miami (Ohio) Red Hawks on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., and he did so in historic fashion.
Heintschel was near unstoppable in the contest, going 31/41 for 453 passing yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions, as the Panthers ripped the visiting MAC school, 59-14.
The seven touchdowns Heintschel passed broke the single-game record in ACC history, via ESPN insights.
Heintschel started his touchdown barrage with a 17-yard pass to Malik Knight with a little over 10 minutes left in the first quarter. He added another with a 5-yard toss to Elijah Lagg. In the second quarter, the sophomore Heintschel stunned Miami’s defense with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Kyrian Turner on a 1st-and-10.
The second half saw Heintschel punish the RedHawks’ pass defense even more, as he fired four more touchdown passes to set the record.
Despite his historic accomplishment, Heintschel highlighted his teammates’ work after the game.
“Just proud of our guys, I think everybody did a really great job with their preparation, and we came out and executed,” Heintschel said, via Jeff Hathhorn of Audacy Pittsburgh.
Heintschel could have inflicted more damage on the RedHawks’ defense, but he was replaced with under eight minutes left in regulation by Holden Geriner.
Heintschel and the Panthers will look to sustain their form as they next face the UCF Knights, still at Acrisure Stadium, on Sept. 12.
