Need to know: Everything to get ready for Pitt-Clemson
No. 23 Pitt (5-1, 2-0) will face Clemson (4-2, 3-1) at home this Saturday in a huge ACC showdown. Here’s everything you need to get ready for this week’s game.
Time, TV and radio info
Pitt-Clemson will kick off at 3:30 pm ET at Heinz Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN with radio coverage in Pittsburgh on 93.7 The Fan.
Weather outlook
According to weather.com, Saturday in Pittsburgh will have a high temperature of 56 degrees with a 12 percent chance of precipitation.
What’s the spread?
According to BetOnline, Pitt has opened as a 3.5-point favorite over Clemson, with the over/under set at 46.5.
Game week schedule
Pat Narduzzi will hold his weekly press conference on Monday at noon. Select players and assistant coaches will address the media on Tuesday and Wednesday; Narduzzi will also have his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.
On Thursday, Narduzzi will have his final press briefing of the week.
Here on Panther-Lair.com, The Kenny Pickett Show debuts every Wednesday morning and the Panther-Lair Show live stream airs Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m.
Notes of note
- Pitt is 5-1 for the second time under Pat Narduzzi and the first time since Narduzzi’s debut season in 2015. That year, the Panthers opened the season with a 6-1 record before losing four of their final six.
- This season is Pitt’s third 2-0 start in ACC games under Narduzzi. The Panthers were 2-0 last season and 4-0 in 2015.
- Pitt is 2-2 all-time against Clemson. The Panthers beat the Tigers 34-3 in the 1977 Gator Bowl and upset Clemson in 2016. In 2018, Pitt lost to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, and last season the Panthers lost to the Tigers on the road in a game that was added when the ACC reworked the schedule due to COVID.
- With the regular season at the halfway point, Pitt will play four of its final six games at Heinz Field. This is the third time under Narduzzi that the Panthers have played more than three home games in the second half of the regular season. In 2015, Pitt finished the year with four home games and two road trips and went 3-3 in that stretch. The Panthers had four home games in the second half of the 2017 season, too, and also went 3-3.
- After beating Virginia Tech on Saturday, Narduzzi is 47-35 as Pitt’s head coach. That puts him No. 6 among Pitt head coaches in wins, trailing Dr. John B. “Jock” Sutherland (111-20-12 from 1924-38), Glenn Scobey “Pop” Warner (60-12-4 from 1915-23), John P. Michelosen (56-49-7 from 1955-65), Walt Harris (52-44 from 1997-2004) and Jackie Sherrill (50-9-3 from 1977-81).
Top storylines
- Pitt made its 2021 debut in the Associated Press college football poll this week at No. 23. That was the Panthers’ first appearance in the AP poll since they spent three weeks ranked in September of last season.
- Pitt has now been ranked in the AP poll at least once in five of Narduzzi’s seven seasons with the Panthers.
- After scoring a season-low 28 points in Saturday’s win at Virginia Tech, Pitt dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in scoring offense nationally. The Panthers now average 48.3 points per game, which trails Ohio State (48.5 ppg) and Coastal Carolina (48.8 ppg).
- Similarly, Pitt’s passing offense dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 nationally after accounting for 203 yards in Blacksburg. But the Panthers’ rushing attack, which put up 208 yards in the win, moved from No. 65 nationally to No. 53.
- Pitt’s defense also moved from No. 40 in yards allowed to inside the top 30 nationally after holding Virginia Tech to 224 yards.
- Clemson is the No. 2 scoring defense in the country, allowing an average of 12.5 points per game. The Tigers’ opponents through six games have scored a total of seven offensive touchdowns this season - five passing and two rushing. Two of those seven touchdowns - one rushing, one passing - came in Clemson’s 17-14 win at Syracuse on Friday night.
- Pitt has scored at least four offensive touchdowns in every game this season. The Panthers scored at least five in each of their first six games prior to Saturday’s trip to Blacksburg.