The Clemson Tigers took down the Pitt Panthers with a late Cade Klubnik 50-yard touchdown run, handing Pitt its third straight loss, 24-20, Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
The Panthers, who fell to 7-3, trailed 17-7 at halftime but took the momentum late in the third quarter and kept it for most of the final quarter before Klubnik’s game-winning touchdown jaunt, which came with just 1 minute, 16 seconds remaining in the game.
Pitt had one last gasp and backup quarterback Nate Yarnell – playing for the injured Eli Holstein – drove his team into Clemson territory. But the Tigers’ Khalil Barnes picked off a Yarnell pass inside the Clemson 5-yard line to seal the win for the Tigers.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said it was a shame that anyone had to end up on the losing end of Saturday’s matchup, and he shared those sentiments with Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi after the game.
“That’s two teams that left it all on the field,” he said. “I told Pat I wouldn’t expect anything less from his team. I’ve been a part of many of those games in my career. They’re not fun to be a part of, but when you win games like that, those are the type of games that help your team grow.”
Swinney credited his defense for limiting Pitt to three points on the drive that put the Panthers ahead 20-17 with just 1:36 to play. He also said he told his team to manage the final 96 seconds just like it does during practice every Wednesday and reminded the Tigers that a field goal would tie it, but a touchdown would win it.
That’s exactly what Klubnik delivered, executing a draw play that went 50 yards for the game-winning score. Swinney said he planned for that moment as he knew Pitt played man coverage, keeping its secondary tight and giving Klubnik room to move.
“That kid can run,” Swinney said of Klubnik, who completed 27 of 41 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his game-winning dash. “It was just a heck of a play by him. We were just trying to make sure we had a very good, positive play right there on first down and it popped … Unbelievable play. He missed a few plays he will be mad about. We missed on a few plays that we had, but great quarterbacks find a way and he found a way tonight.”
Down by 10 points late in the third quarter, Pitt roared back with a 17-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Ben Sauls’ 35-yard field goal, cutting Clemson’s lead to 17-10 with 10:55 remaining in the game.
The Panthers’ defense gave them a chance to tie the game, and they capitalized when Nate Yarnell found Gavin Bartholomew for an 8-yard touchdown to tie it 17-17 with 7:05 left to play.
Pitt then shut the door on the Tigers with a tackle from Jimmy Scott on Phil Mafah on fourth and short, and the Panthers’ took over at their own 45-yard line with 4:14 left to play.
Pitt then moved into Clemson territory on a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. A Yarnell pass to Desmond Reid was good for 14 yards, putting the Panthers at the Clemson 17-yard line going into the two minute warning.
Pitt, playing conservatively, was unable to get a first down but the Tigers burned all three timeouts. Sauls buried a 47-yard field goal to take the lead 20-17 with 1:36 remaining, but that only set the stage for Klubnik’s late heroics.
Starting at his own 25-yard line, Klubnik completed two straight passes to move to midfield with 1:23 left, and then he took it to the house on his 50-yard touchdown run to help Clemson retake the lead 24-20.
Yarnell and the Pitt offense drove from their own 25 to the Clemson 26, but Yarnell’s fourth-and-1 pass with 4 seconds remaining was intercepted by Khalil Barnes to end the game.
Despite the outcome, Narduzzi said he was proud of the way his team battled.
“I love that group in there,” Narduzzi said. “They fought their tails off to the end. Didn’t go our way. It’s a game of inches. The defense played their tails off the entire game on the field for almost 35 minutes.”
The Panthers notched five sacks, two of which came from Kyle Louis, who also racked up 3.5 tackles for losses.
As for the offense, Yarnell completed 34 of 54 passes for 350 yards and one touchdown and an interception. Reid was his top target with 10 catches for 108 yards. He also ran for 75 yards on 14 carries. Poppi Williams caught seven passes for 68 yards.
“Offensively, they hung in there and made a lot of plays,” Narduzzi said of his team, which will visit Louisville Saturday. “Nate Yarnell had a heck of a game. I think we didn’t protect the quarterback. We’ve had some shuffling going through all of the line…just part of the game, but next man up. We got banged up last week. We got banged up a little bit more today, on top of that, but I love the way our guys played.”
Swinney reiterated that it was a shame that either team had to come away with a loss.
“I hate it for Pitt,” Swinney said. “I really do. I’ve been on both sides. I hate it for those kids. I hate it for anybody who has to lose a game like that because it just rips your frickin’ heart out. They battled and Pat and those kids are going to give everything because that’s who he (Narduzzi) is as a man and as a coach. That hurts for Pitt, but I’m going to enjoy that dub on that plane ride regardless.”
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
Great article!