Pitt is just about a two-touchdown home underdog against No. 20 Clemson, but the Panthers — on national television — will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses.
Pitt has received a top ESPN crew for the matchup against Clemson. Sean McDonough will handle play-by-play duties, Greg McElroy will serve as his analyst and Molly McGrath will report from the sideline.
Bill Hillgrove — in his 51st season as the voice of the Pitt Panthers — will handle play-by-play duties on 93.7 the Fan and the Pitt Radio Network as usual, with Pat Bostick serving as his analyst and Larry Richert and Dorin Dickerson reporting from the field at Acrisure Stadium.
Pitt hasn’t played Clemson since 2021, a 27-17 win at what was then Heinz Field, and it was one of the biggest Pitt games in Pittsburgh in quite some time. Kenny Pickett threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns to advance his Heisman Trophy narrative.
Pitt has only played Clemson five times in program history, dating back to an inaugural meeting in 1977. The Panthers knocked off No. 2 Clemson in 2016 in dramatic fashion, and the Tigers smacked the Panthers, 42-10, in the 2018 ACC championship game.
Clemson is coming off a bounce-back win against Virginia, and the Tigers sit at 7-2 (6-1 ACC). The Panthers are the final conference test for the Tigers.
Pitt is coming off its worst performance of the season against Virginia. The Panthers came out flat, failed to adjust and went out with a whimper against Virginia. Pat Narduzzi blamed himself for the second weekend in a row.
“It starts with me, starts with our coaches putting our kids in position to make plays,” Narduzzi said Saturday night. “We had way too many penalties in the first half offensively. Again, we got iPads. So I’m seeing a lot of things on iPads. But we lost as a team. Again, it starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job getting our guys prepared. I thought we had a great week of practice, but Virginia came in with a week off and did a nice job.”
The Panthers dropped to 7-2 (3-2 ACC) with the loss to Virginia, a Cavaliers squad that entered as a 7.5-point underdog, and the record doesn’t do a good job highlighting the hole they’ve fallen into over the last month.
But there’s no time to waste. Clemson is coming to town for a big matchup, and Narduzzi recognizes that the Tigers are still the gold standard.
“We closed that last night,” Narduzzi said Monday at his weekly presser. “We’re heading on to Clemson, maybe the best football team we’ve played this year. I shouldn’t say maybe. They are. They’re 315 across the line on their defensive line. They’ve got some big dudes. They’re athletic, a bunch of first rounders on defense and offense.”
Eli Holstein is a game-time decision, with Nate Yarnell waiting in the wings, and Konata Mumpfield and Daejon Reynolds will have their status determined closer to kickoff, too.
Pitt vs. Clemson is scheduled to kick off at Acrisure Stadium at noon on ESPN.
Television — ESPN
Sean McDonough (play-by-play)
Greg McElroy (analyst)
Molly McGrath (reporter)
Radio — 93.7 The Fan, Pitt Panthers Radio Network
Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play)
Pat Bostick (analyst)
Larry Richert and Dorin Dickerson (reporters)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Channels 138 or 193 or on the SiriusXM app
WPTS Radio (Pitt Student Station) — 92.1 FM
