Clemson Football sure loves to give fans grey hairs.
After Saturday’s wild 24-20 victory over Pitt, boxes of Rogaine might fly off the shelves in Upstate, SC. The Tigers watched a comfortable first half lead slip away only to have quarterback Cade Klubnik pull a win out of the fire with a 50-yard touchdown run with just over a minute to play. There is a lot to digest, and a lot to compliment and criticize, in the aftermath of the Tigers’ victory.
It was certainly frustrating to see the offense for Clemson football stall repeatedly in the second half, especially after a fairly prolific first half that saw Klubnik pass for 242 yards and Antonio Williams shred the Panthers’ secondary. But objectively, the offensive line for the Tigers is MASH unit at the moment. Freshman Elijah Thurman, already filling in for one injured starter, suffered a season-ending injury on Clemson’s first offensive series of the game.
For the remainder of the day, the Tigers could not run at all against an aggressive Pitt defense. Very uncharacteristic for Clemson football. It rendered the Tigers one dimensional and allowed the Pitt secondary to bring pressure to disrupt the passing game and Klubnik could not replicate his first half success over the final two quarters. The Tigers rushed for only 58 yards on the day, and Klubnik and Phil Mafah are the only two players who registered rushing attempts. Mafah finished with just 17 yards on 17 carries. That will not play against anyone.
Still, the Tigers got it done.
But kudos must go to the defense. Sure, Pitt passed for 350 yards but look past the initial numbers. The defensive line was a wrecking ball for the Clemson football team, in particular sophomore T.J. Parker who lived in the Panthers’ backfield all afternoon with multiple sacks and quarterback hurries. Ashton Hampton played another strong game in the secondary and Khalil Barners secured the game-clinching interception on the final snap of the game with Pitt inside the red zone.
And then there is the kicking game. Clemson football made a field goal, and not just any kick, a season-long 51-yard field goal. Glory be! Houser’s kick would have been good from 60, and let’s just say what a difference Peter Woods makes when he is in and blocking on kick attempts. It was a relief for the Tigers and something to build on in the special teams department.
At the end of the day there was a lot to unpack. But if Clemson football wants to close out the season strong and make some noise in the postseason, however that might look, the Tigers have a lot to fix. The offense must be more consistent and cannot allow itself to become one-sided in either the run or pass. Yes, injuries have mounted, but the Tigers’ moniker has always been “we too deep” and it is time to prove the truth in that statement.
The defense has made strides the past two weeks and have played with much more fire and aggression which has been refreshing to see. That Pitt was able to move the ball in the second half on Saturday had more to do with fatigue than scheme as the offense could not keep them off the field.
At the end of the day, a win is a win. You take them any way you can get them. But with the conference slate now over for Clemson football, all the Tigers can do is watch and wait as Miami and SMU will decide their postseason fate which is out of the Tigers’ hands now.
Clemson vs. Pitt Condensed Game | 2024 ACC Football
All Clemson can do is rest up, heal up, and look forward to returning to Death Valley next Saturday against in-state foe The Citadel.
