The Clemson Tigers were nothing if not dramatic on Saturday at Pitt.
Clemson (8-2) led 17-7 at the half, saw that lead disappear in the final two quarters, and with their backs to the wall quarterback Cade Klubnik ran a draw right up the middle for a 50-yard, game-winning score with just over a minute to play as the Tigers escaped the Steel City with a 24-20 victory.
It certainly appeared as if the Clemson Tigers might pull away from Pitt (7-3) in the first half. Clemson grabbed a 7-0 lead just eight minutes into the game on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik to Antonio Williams. After Pitt tied the game at 7-7, the Tigers would score the final 10 points of the half to create separation against the Panthers.
Klubnik connected with Williams for a second score of 28 yards with 11:18 to play in the first half, and freshman kicker Nolan Houser got off a clean kick and stuck a season-high 51-yard field goal to set the halftime score. Klubnik had been rolling, passing for 242 yards in the first half, but the final two quarters would see Pitt, renowned for their come-from-behind ability, begin to slice away at the deficit.
The Clemson Tiger offense would grind to a halt, exacerbated by injuries to decimated offensive line, giving Pitt an open door. The Panthers nearly kicked it right down.
The Panthers finally broke through early in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard field goal off the foot of Ben Sauls to trim the Clemson lead to 17-10. Pitt tied the game a few minutes later, after yet another empty possession for the Tigers, on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Nate Yarnell to Gavin Bartholomew with 7:05 to play in the game.
Pitt took their first and only lead on a 47-yard Sauls field goal with 1:36 to play, and with no timeouts, it seemed as if the Clemson Tigers might suffer another gut-wrenching loss. But Klubnik had one more hand up his sleeve that he was ready to play.
Following three straight completions to midfield, Klubnik ran a draw up the middle, catching a great extra block from running back Phil Mafah, and outran the entire Pitt defense to the endzone. Houser’s extra point gave the Tigers a 24-20 lead. But the Panthers had one final scare to put into the Tigers.
Driving to the Clemson 25-yard line, with five seconds on the clock, Yarnell’s pass was picked off by Khalil Barners, finally ending the drama and allowing the Clemson Tigers to escape with the victory.
It was not pretty, but there were plenty of positives, especially for the Tigers’ defense. Clemson recorded seven sacks on the day, by far a season high, and defensive end T.J. Parker was a force that wrecked the Pitt offensive line all day. Parker constantly harassed Yarnell and recorded multiple sacks and tackles for loss.
Phil Mafah briefly surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, a personal goal he had set for himself, but after losing four yards in the final quarter the senior running back sits at 998 yards on the season.
For Pitt, Yarnell competed 34 of 54 passes for 350 yards. Desmond Reid led the Panthers’ rushing attack with 14 carries for 68 yards. With the loss, Pitt falls to 3-3 in the ACC.
The Clemson Tigers were led by Klubnik who completed 27 of 41 passes for 288 yards, two scores, and no interceptions. Cade also led Clemson on the ground with 10 carries for 41 yards.
Clemson Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football
The Tigers will return home to Death Valley next week to host The Citadel in a non-conference match-up at 3:30 p.m. With Pitt being the final ACC game on the Tigers’ slate, Clemson ends conference play with a 7-1 record but will have to wait and hope for help from either Miami or SMU if they have any hope of playing for the ACC Championship. Miami would need to lose once, or SMU twice, for that to happen.
