PITTSBURGH — Turns out North Carolina punt returner Ryan Switzer and Pittsburgh’s enigmatic season have something in common.

Each are tough to get a handle on.

The Panthers spent 15 minutes erasing a 24-point deficit against the Tar Heels on Saturday and 15 seconds watching Switzer make the rally immaterial. The freshman’s zig-zagging 61-yard return for a score with 4:46 remaining lifted North Carolina to a 34-27 victory on Saturday and continued a confounding pattern that Pitt coach Paul Chryst has been unable to solve in two seasons on the job.

A week after an emotional upset of Notre Dame, Pitt (5-5, 2-4 ACC) couldn’t find a way to build on it and now needs to win one of its final two games to become bowl eligible for a sixth straight season.

“I don’t know necessarily if complacency was an issue,” Chryst said. “I don’t think we didn’t care about it. They made more plays and we didn’t.”

Quarterback Tom Savage shook off seven sacks and a brief injury scare to throw for 313 yards and two scores but running back James Conner was drilled on fourth-and-1 at the North Carolina 26 with 1:10 to go as a bid for one of the more improbable comebacks in program history fell short.

“I thought I saw something, but the two middle linebackers were pressed up the middle,” said Conner, who ran for 102 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that tied the game at 27.