Pitt is hosting No. 20 Clemson at Acrisure Stadium today. Here’s the latest from the game.
FIRST QUARTER
Pitt won the coin toss and, for the first time this season, deferred, giving Clemson the ball to open the game. The Tigers converted third-and-1 with a Phil Mafah run and third-and-4 with a 10-yard pass from Cade Klubnik to Antonio Williams. But on second-and-6 from the Pitt 44, Nate Matlack got to Klubnik and dislodged the ball, which was recovered by Rasheem Biles for a turnover.
Pitt couldn’t capitalize on the fumble, though, as the Nate Yarnell-led offense gained a net of one yard and punted. Caleb Junko pinned the Tigers inside their own 10, and after a run for one yard by Mafah, Pitt almost had Klubnik down near the goal line on second down, but the Clemson quarterback stayed alive to find T.J. Moore for a 20-yard gain.
On the next play, Klubnik and Williams connected for 23 yards, and Clemson got 15 more when P.J. O’Brien suplexed Williams to end the play. Five plays later, Klubnik found Williams in the end zone from 14 yards out and the Tigers took the first lead.
CLEMSON 7, PITT 0 - 7:20, 1st quarter
Pitt’s offense had an answer to Clemson’s touchdown, and it came in the form of two big plays. On first down after the kickoff, Yarnell found Raphael Williams in the middle of the defense for 23 yards. Then, Desmond Reid got outside to the left and ran 43 yards before he was tackled inside the 10.
The Panthers hit a bit of a wall as they tried to find the end zone, but a pass interference penalty on third-and-goal from the 4 set up first-and-goal from the 2, and Daniel Carter cashed in for the tying score.
PITT 7, CLEMSON 7 - 5;22, 1st quarter
Clemson’s offense looked like it would respond to Pitt’s touchdown when it converted a third-and-13, but when the Panthers had the Tigers in a third-and-12 three plays later, the defense prevailed by forcing a punt. Pitt’s offense picked up one first down after the punt with an 11-yard pass from Yarnell to Jake Overman, but the Panthers had to punt when the next three plays only gained a net of three yards.
SECOND QUARTER
Pitt forced another punt with third-down pressure on Klubnik on the next drive, but the Panthers’ offense couldn’t get a first down on the ensuing possession and had to punt again.
This time, the Tigers’ offense cashed in. After a two-yard run by Mafah on first down, Klubnik stood in against pressure from Chief Borders and found Bryant Wesco for a 45-yard pass before connecting with Williams for a 28-yard shot up the middle and a touchdown.
CLEMSON 14, PITT 7 - 11:18, 2nd quarter
Pitt’s offense converted a second-and-14 with a 30-yard pass from Yarnell to Konata Mumpfield after the touchdown, but two more negative plays created third-and-long and Yarnell couldn’t convert that one.
The Panthers got the ball right back, though, when the defense forced a three-and-out, and they moved into Clemson territory when Yarnell and Mumpfield connected for a 17-yard pass on third-and-8 from the Pitt 41. The Panthers got another 13 yards on the next play with a nice run from Carter, but the super-senior running back was hurt at the end of the run and left the game on a cart.
Pitt went backward after that with a holding penalty on first-time starting right tackle Jackson Brown, and the Panthers had to settle for a 59-yard field goal attempt by Ben Sauls.
The kick went wide right and Clemson’s lead stayed at seven points.
The Tigers’ next possession featured something that had to be a first: after Clemson found itself in a third-and-21, Pitt’s defense committed three consecutive offsides penalties - one each on Sincere Edwards, Keye Thompson and Nate Matlack - but the Panthers got a stop on third-and-6 to force another punt. Pitt’s offense couldn’t get across midfield on the next drive, punting the ball back to Clemson with 48 seconds left in the half. A sack by Kyle Louis put the Tigers in third-and-10, but Klubnik hit Williams for 11 and then nine more to convert the next second-and-7.
Then, on second-and-10 from the Pitt 49, Klubnik and Williams connected for 16 yards and kicker Nolan Hauser ended the half with a 51-yard field goal.
CLEMSON 17, PITT 7 - 0:03, 2nd quarter
THIRD QUARTER
Pitt got the ball to open the second half and struck quickly with a 22-yard screen pass from Yarnell to Reid and a 10-yard run by Reid, but a short pass, a sack and an overthrow on third down led to another Pitt punt.
On Clemson’s first drive of the third quarter, Pitt had multiple opportunities to get off the field. First, Brandon George made a tackle for a two-yard gain on third-and-9 but was called for a facemask penalty. Then, on the next play, Wesco appeared to fumble after catching a pass from Klubnik but the play was ruled an incomplete pass. Then, the Panthers had the Tigers in third-and-3 but allowed Mafah, who had been largely held in check, to run for five yards.
Finally, on third-and-10 from the Clemson 39, Pitt got pressure on Klubnik and forced an incomplete pass and a punt.
Pitt got a big play on its next drive when a second-down pass from Yarnell to Reid down the right seam found the running back ahead of the defender in coverage. Reid made the catch for a 34-yard gain that could have been a lot more if he hadn’t lost his footing.
On the next play, though, Yarnell was sacked by a rush off the right side and lost the ball. Clemson recovered the fumble and took over in Pitt territory but ended in a fourth-and-21 after a 13-yard sack on third down. The Panthers couldn’t do anything with the ensuing punt, but they forced another three-and-out on Clemson’s offense to get the ball back again.
For the final drive of the third quarter, Pitt took over at its own 16, but a short pass and a Reid handoff didn’t gain any yards, setting up third-and-10. On this play, though, Yarnell came through with a shot to Kenny Johnson, who made the catch and fought forward for a 27-yard gain. Yarnell converted the next third down on his own with a six-yard run, and then the Panthers pushed inside the Clemson 40 with a two-yard run by Derrick Davis on fourth-and-1 to end the third quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
On the first play of the final 15 minutes, Yarnell and Daejon Reynolds connected for a 12-yard gain, and after Yarnell and Raphael Williams couldn’t hook up for a touchdown pass, Reid caught one from Yarnell, broke a tackle and ran to the 2 to set up first-and-goal.
And at that point, things fell apart. Derrick Davis was stopped for a one-yard loss on first down, but a haphazard play for Gavin Bartholomew gained two yards back to the 1. What followed was chaotic, at best: Pat Narduzzi called a timeout before Davis dove into the end zone for a touchdown and the offense proceeded to take three consecutive procedure penalties - illegal formation, delay of game and false start. After a third-and-goal pass from the 16 was incomplete, Sauls converted a 35-yard field goal to cut the lead to seven.
CLEMSON 17, PITT 10 - 10:55, 4th quarter
Pitt’s defense stepped up again to force another three-and-out on Clemson’s next drive - the Tigers’ third three-and-out in a row - and gave the ball back to the offense at the Panthers’ 42. Reid ran for eight yards to convert third-and-6 before Yarnell hit Williams for 12 yards to get inside the Clemson 35. On first down from there, Yarnell threw to Censere Lee, who was injured on the play but also drew a pass interference penalty to get the ball into the red zone.
On first-and-goal from the 8, Yarnell connected with Bartholomew on a wheel route across the goal line for the tying score.
PITT 17, CLEMSON 17 - 7:05, 4th quarter
Pitt’s defense needed another stop on Clemson, but the Tigers picked up a first down to get to the 50 when defensive end Nate Matlack was called for roughing the passer. The Panthers stepped up, though, and forced Clemson into fourth-and-1 from the Pitt 41. On that play, Mafah took a toss wide to the right but was tracked down by Jimmy Scott, who tackled him for a loss and a turnover on downs.
Pitt took possession at its own 45, and on second down, Yarnell took a shot to the face from Clemson linebacker Dee Crayton. The officials initially didn’t throw a flag, but “after discussion,” the play was ruled to be unnecessary roughness. Two pass plays to Reid moved the ball inside the 20, but at that point, Pitt opted to play for the field goal with two runs and a third-down sack.
Sauls finished the drive with a 47-yard field goal that gave the Panthers the lead.
PITT 20, CLEMSON 17 - 1:36, 4th quarter
Clemson took the ball back with no timeouts and 96 seconds left to drive for a field goal to tie or a touchdown to take the lead. The Tigers opted for the latter: after two pass plays picked up 25 yards, Klubnik ran a quarterback draw from the 50, evaded several tacklers and ran all the way to the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown.
CLEMSON 24, PITT 20 - 1:16, 4th quarter
With 76 seconds and two timeouts, Pitt started its final drive for a win with the ball at the 25. Completions to Johnson and Bartholomew picked up 25 yards, and passes to Reid and Williams got 26 more to set up the Panthers at the 26.
But Yarnell threw incomplete on his next two passes and was intercepted near the goal line on the final play of the game to seal the loss.
CLEMSON 24, PITT 20 - Final
