The North Carolina Tar Heels enter Week 6 on a two-game losing streak, with defeats to Clemson and Notre Dame.

On Saturday, North Carolina takes on the No. 25-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers, who will be without their starting quarterback, Mason Heintschel. The sophomore signal caller suffered a season-ending torn ACL in last weekend's win over Virginia Tech. This game has obvious implications for the Tar Heels, who are looking to avoid a three-game losing streak. Additionally, several players are also worth watching as the game unfolds. Here are three Tar Heels to watch on Saturday.

Billy Edwards Jr.

This one goes without saying: the sixth-year quarterback has underwhelmed throughout the season, with his struggles rearing their ugly heads in the two recent losses. Edwards Jr. has shown glimpses of average quarterback play, but for the most part, the Wisconsin transfer has left much to be desired for large stretches of games.

The pressure is already significantly high for Edwards Jr. to flip the narrative and lead the Tar Heels to a win. That increases when you factor in that the Panthers will start fifth-year quarterback Holden Geriner, who has attempted fewer than 50 passes in his career. If North Carolina falls short and Edwards Jr. is one of the main reasons why, his job shouldn't be cemented heading into Week 7.

Melkart Abou Jaoude

Abou Jaoude has been dealing with a hand injury that led to two missed games, including the conference play opener against Clemson. The 2025 ACC sack leader returned to the starting lineup in a limited capacity against Notre Dame, logging 42 of 77 defensive snaps.

With the Tar Heels attempting to get back on track, Abou Jaoude's impact will be magnified, especially with multiple defensive linemen holding an injury designation on the initial injury report.

Benjamin Hall

In Week 5, the Tar Heels were forced to throw the ball more often than they would like. North Carolina faced an early 14-point deficit, much in part because of Edwards Jr.'s two interceptions. The run game was slowly phased out, with the backfield mustering 64 yards on 20 carries.

Hall finished with 10 carries for 36 yards. His workload was nearly cut in half starting in Week 3, which shows how much offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino had to dial up passing plays. With Pittsburgh turning to an inexperienced veteran quarterback, the Tar Heels have an opportunity to dictate terms and run the ball more often. Hall is the clear RB1 in this backfield, and he could be in for a large workload, which should culminate in significant production.