Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Heintschel, a sophomore in his second year as starter, left Pitt's 35-33 win over Virginia Tech on Friday night during the third quarter after taking a hit from Hokies cornerback Cam Chadwick. He entered Saturday tied for the ACC lead in overall touchdown passes with 14.
The injury appeared serious as Heintschel struggled to put weight on his right leg. He went to the locker room and was later seen on the Pitt sideline with crutches. Pitt is now 5-0 after the win and could be ranked soon, with coach Pat Narduzzi calling on pollsters to rank the Panthers.
Heintschel was relieved by veteran backup Holden Geriner, who led Pitt to a second-half comeback. Geriner, a fifth-year player who transferred from Texas State and Auburn, will be Pitt's starter moving forward. Against Virginia Tech, Geriner was 8-for-12 for 78 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
Heintschel, an overlooked recruit from Toledo, overtook Eli Holstein for the starting job. He went 6-3 as a freshman starter and is 11-3 overall. In two seasons in Kade Bell's offense, Heintschel threw for 3,658 yards and 30 touchdowns in 15 games with a 64.4% completion rate.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing