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.
Kickoff vs. Clemson is scheduled for noon at Acrisure Stadium, with an ESPN broadcast.
Pitt hasn’t played Clemson since 2021, a 27-17 win at what was then Heinz Field, and it was one of the biggest Panthers games in Pittsburgh in quite some time. Kenny Pickett threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns to advance his Heisman Trophy narrative.
The Panthers have 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.
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