Clemson's talent and Pitt's mistakes lead to ACC title game loss
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson is better than Pitt.
That much was clear before Saturday night’s ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium. It was clear from the Tigers’ perfect record and their statistics for 2018, which rank among the best in the nation on both sides of the ball.
And when Pitt and Clemson lined up across from each other on Saturday night, the separation was clear. One team looked like the 12-0 three-time conference champions; the other looked like the division winner that countered its 6-2 conference record with a trio of blowout losses against the best competition it faced.
The separation was reflected in the final score, a 32-point difference that surpassed the seemingly gaudy spread of roughly four touchdowns.
Yet within that final score of 42-10 lies a game that was a blowout but also, at times, more competitive than that term would indicate. Clemson, for instance, punted seven times - the second-most punts this season - and converted 4-of-12 third downs. And the Tigers gained just 419 yards, their second-lowest total of the season (only Texas A&M held Clemson to fewer yards).
And on offense, Pitt also found its running game again after it had disappeared in the last two games. The Panthers ran for 192 yards, more than any other team gained on the Tigers in 2018 and the most since Georgia Tech had 198 against Clemson last season.
“I felt like we competed all day,” redshirt senior safety Dennis Briggs said after the game. “Obviously they made a lot of great plays. But our guys competed all day. There's a story on the sideline every single game. The story is told by the emotion, the story is told by the guys of how they approach it, how they maintain their energy throughout the game. I don't feel like guys ever gave up.”
Pitt may not have given up, but the differences between the two teams didn’t go away either. Clemson’s dominant defense recorded nine tackles for loss, held Pitt to 3-of-17 third-down conversions and forced the Panthers to go three-and-out eight times on 14 possessions.
And with a talent disparity, the Panthers couldn’t afford to make mistakes. So when they committed penalties (eight, in total) or lost the ball on turnovers (there were two of those) or missed tackles (there were plenty of those), the Tigers made it hurt.
Like on the first play of the game, when Pitt defenders missed multiple shots at Clemson running back Travis Etienne and it resulted in a 75-yard touchdown run. Or when Kenny Pickett lost two turnovers deep in Pitt territory and Clemson turned both into touchdowns. Or the eight penalties the Panthers took, four of which contributed to a pair of drives that finished with negative net yardage.
It wasn’t all self-inflicted, of course. Clemson’s defense was outstanding, Etienne earned MVP honors for the game after rushing for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw two scores of his own.
But the combination of Clemson’s talent and Pitt’s mistakes was deadly for the Panthers, who will fly back to Pittsburgh Sunday morning with a 7-6 record, still in possession of a Coastal title as they wait for their bowl invite.