Game Review: Clemson at Pittsburgh
Even while missing multiple key starters, Clemson came back and won at Pittsburgh 24-20 after going down by three with less than two minutes to go. The Panthers completely dismantled Clemson’s injury ridden Offensive Line in both the run and the pass, but a strong half from Quarterback Cade Klubnik led to a 17-7 halftime lead for the Tigers. That lead was even capped off by a 51 yard field goal, and despite the injuries, everything was looking good for Clemson. However, the Pittsburgh Defense came out with a chip on their shoulder during the 2nd half that led to tons of poor drives from Clemson. Pittsburgh then gained the led for the first time all day with 1:36 left on the clock. Gearing up for a game winning drive, two straight completions put the Tigers on the 50, and a QB draw allowed Cade Klubnik to run 50 yards straight to the endzone. After sweating through a Defensive stand, Clemson walked out still alive in the ACC Title picture, winning 24-20.
Key Tiger Takeaways:
Klubnik Kan: Quarterback Cade Klubnik started the day 20/26 going into the half with 242 passing yards and 2 TDs, and it seemed like that campaign would continue during the second half. Yet, poor blocking and some missed throws limited Klubnik to complete just 7/15 passes for 46 yards in the second half. Everything looked down for Clemson, and myself included thought that the game was over once Pittsburgh took the led. However, Klubnik’s improved ability to step up in the pocket combined with his rushing ability enabled an eventual game-winning drive. Quarterback Cade Klubnik took off for 50 yards to seal the deal, and keep the Tigers’ hopes alive. Despite the drops and bad blocking, Cade Klubnik has put the Tigers on his back in two straight games. It is finally time that people start seeing Cade Klubnik as a top Quarterback in College Football as he still continues to eye New York.
Offensive Woes: Even with the greatly improved play from Quarterback Cade Klubnik, it appears that everyone around him has regressed. The Offensive Line gave up 5 sacks which totals 9 in the last two games and is unsustainable for Clemson to continue winning. The OL came into this game down two starters, and after the first play, Freshman Elyjah Thurmon was injured (most likely for the year), and Clemson was down three starters. The Tigers had only one Offensive Lineman playing his true position during this contest, but their struggles are inexcusable. Clemson needs to take this week against the Citadel to get healthy for one of the pass rushes in the country against South Carolina. The Offensive Line must improve. Another woe that has haunted Clemson for the third straight week is drops within the Receiving Corps. For the second straight week, the Tigers had at least 4 drops coming from Antonio Williams (x2), T.J. Moore, and Jake Briningstool. All three of these guys also had one last week. Coach Swinney needs to recognize this regression and finally make a change at leadership within that room. The sites are set on Wide Receiver Coach Tyler Grisham who has truly failed to produce one consistent and productive WR core since his arrival as Wide Receiver Coach. This group had the potential at the beginning of the season, but they had massively fell off a cliff even with Cade Klubnik playing Heisman level football. Antonio Williams finished the day with 13 catches 149 receiving yards and 2 TDs and one of his best days as a Clemson Tiger, but his two drops were inexcusable. Antonio’s great performance should not be overlooked, but it should also not save Coach Grisham’s job. Yet another woe today was the rushing production from Clemson. Coming into this game, I knew that the Panthers were going to make it very difficult for RB Phil Mafah. However, I did not anticipate for him to rush for 17 yards on 17 carries (ESPN). This was caused with the production of the Offensive Line and Pittsburgh tough rush defense, but the main concern was that no other Running Back received one snap. Clemson needs to be able to rotate Running Backs, but they cannot because of the lack of trust within their depth. Hopefully, we will see some bright spots from the depth pieces coming this week against the Citadel.
Finally…: Clemson all year has been terrible at getting pressure to the opposing Quarterback, having just 18 sacks coming into this game (ESPN). The Tigers; however, led by star DE T.J. Parker came out and dominated a struggling Pittsburgh OL ending the day with 8 total sacks and 16 TFLs (ESPN). 4 of those sacks came at the hands of Parker as he finally had his breakout game. The Front Seven was gutted by Wade Woodaz’s absence and Sammy Brown’s ejected, but a returning Peter Woods, who played DT, and a breakout T.J. Parker finally came through for Clemson.
Heart: While the entire roster showcased heart today to come out with a win, the Defense especially showed what they were made of in two straight weeks. The Tiger Defense has kept Clemson in the past two games while the Offense struggled. Defensive Coordinator Wes Goodwin has proven his worth after his worst game against Louisville to start November. The Tiger Defense was missing five starters by the end of this game due to injuries, and they still buckled down and created stops when needed. Clemson’s limited Linebacker and Secondary depth was questioned today, and they showed their heart. By the end of the game, there was 4+ guys in the game for Clemson that haven’t gotten a lot of meaningful snaps. However, these guys till managed to come through, and they fought as hard as they could.
Do We Have a Kicker?: Nolan Hauser came through bigtime for Clemson right before half hitting his longest field goal all season at 51 yards. He has been perfect on every FG this season that has not been blocked. Hauser looks to have saved Clemson’s Kicking woes as long as they can block for him. I hope Clemson can have sustained success within the kicking game and that Hauser is a viable, trustworthy Kicker for the next 3 years.
Hope: Clemson finished their ACC schedule against the Panthers, ending that season with a record of 7-1. While many may think that the Tigers’ Playoff chances are over, there is still hope. However, Clemson’s hope is out of their own hands because of their home loss to Louisville. Tiger fandom saw Miami lose last week to Georgia Tech on the road, and Clemson either needs Miami to lose another game or the SMU Mustangs to lose two games. Clemson’s chances are slim, but they are still present. The Tigers’ comeback win today enabled them to sit back and just watch these next few weeks. Clemson has a buy-game next at home against the Citadel, and a home rivalry game at home against USCjr. Yet neither of these games affect Clemson’s chances at the ACC Title game. While we all want Clemson to beat South Carolina, they technically do not have to in order to make the ACC Championship.
Sources:
ESPN. “ESPN.” ESPN.com, 2019, www.espn.com/.
“Clemson Tigers | Clemson University Athletics.” Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site, clemsontigers.com.