UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 26, 2026

Mason Heintschel

Press Conference

Pitt 59, Bucknell 0

Q. I think four incompletions on the first drive, then kind of got into a rhythm. I guess, how did you get into a rhythm?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: I think one of the big things is we started playing with a little more tempo. I did that, helps us get into a rhythm for sure against a defense in the more base looks, and allows our guys to kind of use their speed to go win.

But we can't start out with those incompletions. We were in third and ten because I threw two incompletions on the first drive. That's not a good start. We gotta be better than that. I'll be better than that, and we'll take it and learn from it.

Q. When you have some of those misses, we saw you make them later in the game. What allows you to sort of settle back in?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: I think part of it was just kind of settling into the game, like you said, not being all amped up and ready to go.

We came out throwing it a lot. So just gotta execute better, and I think just like I said, getting into that groove kind of helps you just relax and start making those throws.

But I expect myself to make those throws at any point in the game, and just gotta be better, like I said.

Q. Did you get what you wanted out of that?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: Yeah. I'd say so. I think offensively we were able to throw it pretty effectively and allowed our guys to use their speed go win. And we were able to work on our passing game today, which was big for us. I think that was something that everybody saw we struggled with a little last week. So I think we were able to get back on the same page for the most part today.

I'm excited for what we're going to do next week. I'm excited to head to Virginia Tech and be able to kind of improve this week and get ready to go.

Q. (Indiscernible)?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: He's a game changer. There were a lot of times where he was winning today, too. And I just didn't throw him the ball. I just kind of moving on a little too quick or canceling things a little too quick instead of taking shots. But he was winning pretty much every play. So very proud of him. Like I said, he's a game changer. He does a great job of getting off people's toes. And he's got some pretty sneaky speed.

There's time where I've said this to some of our coaches where it looks like he's not even running and he kind of hits a second gear and he's flying. I'm excited for what he's going to do the rest of the year. I'm excited he was able to contribute in a really heavy way today.

Q. Do you feel any pressure going into Virginia Tech next week?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: No. I think it's -- we kind of talk about it. It's just another game. On the road. It's going to be a great atmosphere. It's a great football team that we're going up against. But there's no pressure. You don't want to give yourself that. You kind of want to go in and apply the pressure in a sense. We're excited to do that. We're excited for that test, and I'm excited for our guys.

Q. 14 different guys caught passes today, too. What's it like spreading the wealth?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: It's great. When we're most effective it's never really one guy that's getting a lot of touches. We're able to kind of, like you said, share the wealth a little bit. And it's always great to get the younger guys in, too.

Demetrice McCray, "Meat Shop," that's kind of going around now. He did a great job of winning today. And even like the goal line fade, the back shoulder, that's something that we've been doing all of camp. He does a great job of using his body and being physical with that. So excited for his future. He's a really great player and a really great kid, too. He listens really well. He'll make a mistake, but he doesn't do it again. That's a special player.

And that goes for everybody else. Bryan Hamilton made a really great play on that fourth down. Holden made a really great throw, and just trusting our guys to go win. So I'm excited for our group. We got a lot of young guys, but they're gaining some experience, and they're winning.

Q. Was there emphasis this week from you or Cade or anyone in the room that the passing offense needs to clean things up from previous weeks? We talked to you last Thursday about you were disappointed in how things didn't click. Was there like extra pressure like, hey, today we have to clean this up now?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: I would say there was definitely an emphasis on cleaning it up. All week we've been working on just being able to throw it more effectively and getting back in our timing.

I wouldn't say there was any extra pressure on like we have to throw it well today. We were just going to do what the defense dictated. But we were fortunate enough to get some loaded boxes and some great looks to be able to throw it, and our guys did a great job of going and winning and making plays.

But I wouldn't say there was any extra pressure. It was more of just trying to get back on our timing, where we were week one, and getting back right. So I think we did a good job of that today.

Q. What did you learn from road games last year?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: That's a great question, actually. I think the big thing is not to really overwhelm yourself with the environment and all that kind of stuff. My first road start was Florida State last year. Great environment, great team. And we were fortunate enough to walk in there and get a win.

So I don't think -- it's just any other game, like I said. You don't want to -- like she said earlier, you don't want to put that extra pressure on yourself, and like I said, it's just another game and go in there and do your best to come out with a win.

Like I said, it's going to be a great team, tough environment, but we're excited.

Q. Mason, if I did my math correct, (indiscernible) does not drop a pass this season. What is it about him that allows that consistency?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: That sounds about right. He's a very sure-handed player. He's a great kid and he's a great -- he's a great role model for those wide receivers. He's a younger guy, but he does a great job of pushing guys to be better. And he runs really great routes, very reliable player. And he's going to win.

I trust him to do that very consistently. And I know he understands what his role is and understands the offense, too, which is really great. It's exciting for him. He's a great player and very reliable, like I said. So very proud of him what he did today.

Q. How important is it for the passing offense to have moments like this when you're facing a short week against Virginia Tech?

MASON HEINTSCHEL: It's huge. It kind of just gets us back into our rhythm a little bit more and allows us to see what it's supposed to look like.

And I'm not saying that we were perfect today. We were far from it. I'll be the first one to admit that. I wasn't perfect throwing the football today. But I think it allows us to get back into somewhat of a groove, and I think this would be a week of practice for us to continue to improve and get better and be playing our best ball next Friday.