PITTSBURGH -- North Carolina figures, if nothing else, it may have gained some believers around the country Thursday night.

Senior quarterback Marquise Williams threw for 270 yards and two second-quarter touchdowns as North Carolina ran its winning streak to seven games by holding off No. 23 Pittsburgh 26-19 in a pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal game.

The legitimacy of North Carolina as an ACC contender had been questioned because of a soft schedule. However, the Tar Heels left Heinz Field with a quality road win on national television.

"A win is a win but, yeah, this is a little more special," North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. "National television. Thursday night, a college football night, with a lot of people watching. It feels good to win a game like this and let the country know we have a special group of players."

North Carolina (7-1, 4-0 ACC) is now one of two unbeaten teams in the Coastal with No 22 Duke (6-1, 3-0), which visits Miami (Fla.) on Saturday night. The Tar Heels host the Blue Devils in their next game, Nov. 7.

The tiebreaker for the division title is head-to-head competition, which means a win over Duke would go a long way in helping North Carolina secure its first berth in the ACC championship game since the conference split into two divisions in 2005.

"That's been our goal all year, to win the Coastal," North Carolina middle linebacker Andre Smith said. "This a good step, and we've another big game coming up. We've just got to keep it going. As far if anyone else is noticing, it's like Coach Fedora always says -- if you keep winning, eventually people have to notice you."

Pitt (6-2, 4-1) dropped into third place in the division and had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Williams completed 14 of 23 passes. One of his touchdown tosses went to wide receiver Ryan Switzer, who finished with five receptions for 126 yards, and helped North Carolina build a 20-3 halftime lead.

"We felt it was important to come out and start fast, especially on the road against one of the best teams in our conference," Williams said. "We wanted to establish some momentum."

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, though, felt Williams was helped by the fact that he was not sacked.

"He's a good football player, but when you don't make plays, you make everybody look good," Narduzzi said. "I give him credit, but we probably missed four sacks out there. He's completing balls after we miss a sack. We can't hang our secondary out there."

North Carolina running back Elijah Hood gained 98 yards on 20 carries. Kicker Nick Weiler made all four field-goal attempts.

Pitt got within seven points with 46 seconds left when quarterback Nate Peterman threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Scott Orndoff. However, North Carolina recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

Peterman threw for 262 yards and a touchdown but was sacked five times. Panthers wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who leads the ACC with 63 receptions, had 10 catches for 89 yards.

Switzer put North Carolina ahead for good, 10-3, when he got open behind the secondary for a 71-yard score.

Two plays after Weiler's 31-yard field goal increased North Carolina's lead, Tar Heels defensive end Junior Gnonkonde recovered a fumble by wide receiver Dontez Ford at the Pitt 38. That set up a 32-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Mack Hollins with 3:19 left in the half.

Both teams scored field goals on their first possessions. Pitt's Chris Blewitt connected from 44 yards, and Weiler countered with a 25-yarder.

Both teams also began the second half with field goals -- Blewitt hitting from 29 and Weiler from 39 -- before Pitt cut the deficit to 23-13 on running back Qadree Ollison's 4-yard touchdown run with 4:10 left in the third quarter. It was Ollison's fifth straight game with a rushing TD.

Weiler's 32-yard field goal with 2:56 to go in the game provided some cushion for North Carolina, which won for just the fourth time in its last 32 games on the road against a ranked team.

NOTES: North Carolina senior WR Quinshad Davis became the school's all-time leader in receptions with his 182nd catch, breaking the record held by Hakeem Nicks. ... North Carolina fifth-year QB Marquise Williams surpassed 2,000 yards rushing in his career. ... Pitt SS Jordan Whitehead had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. ... Twelve NFL teams had scouts in attendance, likely watching Davis, North Carolina G Landon Turner and Pitt WR Tyler Boyd, TE J.P. Holtz and CB Lafayette Pitts. ... Pitt hosts No. 9 Notre Dame on Nov. 7.