Pitt brought a 5-4 record into a game against No. 2 Clemson back on November 12, 2016. The Tigers were led by Deshaun Watson and a defense that was the best in the ACC that season. On the fateful November afternoon, the Panthers found themselves as a 20.5 point underdogs.
The rest, as we know, is history. Pitt shocked the world that day with a 43-42 victory over the eventual national champions. Nathan Peterman threw for five touchdowns, James Conner rushed for 132 yards, and kicker Chris Blewitt drilled a 48-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to pull off one of the more memorable upset wins in program history.
A lot has changed from that game. Most of that 2016 team has since moved on, but the current senior class has some memories from that day, all from different perspectives.
Senior safety Damar Hamlin was a true freshman and was the only player on the current Pitt roster to see action that day. Hamlin recorded four tackles, as he was pressed into action at cornerback for a depleted Pitt secondary that day.
The Pittsburgh native recalls the game vividly. He enjoyed the moment of taking on a top team in front of 80,000 fans. That vibe will look different on Saturday with limited attendance inside of Memorial Stadium, but he still recalls those moments leading up to the game.
“I just remember the atmosphere,” Hamlin recounted. “Like pregame, until this day that was probably one of the best stadiums I played in, just the atmosphere from the fans, just a winning culture you know.”
Alex Kessman is another current player that was in Death Valley back in 2016, and as a kicker he pointed to the big made kick by Blewitt that he remembers the most.
“I was down there and there was a lot going through my head,” Kessman said. "As a young kid obviously I wanted that to be me. And me and Chris have a very good relationship, always have, I could not have been more happier for him when he drilled that through. I’ll never forget it, that’s for sure.”
Added Hamlin, “I just felt like all the stars were aligned for him to make it,” he said. “I felt like we didn’t come that far and get in that position just to not win that game. I had a strong feeling that he was going to make that field goal, and it was just a surreal moment for sure, to say the least.”
Patrick Jones and Jimmy Morrissey were members of team back in 2016, but did not make the travel roster for the game. Morrissey remembers every detail from the thrilling victory.
“I was in Sutherland room 613 with Michael Vardzel, my roommate and we were very happy when it went through,” Morrissey reminisced. “We were watching it, I think I had some Ben & Jerry’s back then and we just watched in our dorm room. It was awesome, I wish I could have traveled that game, but I remember everybody in our dorm just yelling and screaming.”
Senior defensive end Patrick Jones also had a little watch party back in Oakland.
“I was a redshirt that year, but I do remember watching the game and just remember the happiness on my teammates’ faces,” Jones said. “I was in the dorm with my teammates just watching the game. We were just watching it and just shocked at what was going on, but it was just a memory that I won’t forget.”
That game will live on in Pitt lore for years to come, but as for the current team, that game is behind them. There is not anything to take from that day, but rather this group is focusing on the task at hand.
Clemson is once again a top-5 team loaded with superstar talent headlined by quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Pitt is sitting on a 5-4 record looking to play the role of spoiler, again. Pitt is a 24-point underdogs heading into Saturday's matchup.
“Different year, different team, and different players, but we’ve been having a good week of practice,” Hamlin said ahead of Saturday’s game. “As a defense we’ve been flying around to the ball, just executing the game plan and you know we’re just going to try to go out there and win.”
