Clutch Klubnik turns collapse into comeback, season-defining game in near future |
Just three weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Panthers were 7-0 and No. 18 in the country. They could have been higher, given their record, but many saw what is now obvious. The record didn’t tell the whole story. While 7-0 looks good at a glance, their best win was against Syracuse. They needed some good fortune to squeak out close wins (four points or fewer) over Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Cal.
They took that 7-0 record to Dallas to face SMU and lost 48-25. They then came home and lost to Virginia. Not only that, but they lost starting QB Eli Holstein. Next, they’d host Clemson and risk losing three in a row. Meanwhile, Clemson had just gone to Blacksburg and showed resilience. After trailing 7-0 at halftime, the Tigers rattled off 24 in a row to earn the road win. They headed to Pitt as 12-point favorites to face a reeling Panthers team that was without their starting QB. In the first half, Clemson looked like the better team. The offensive line lost LT Elyjah Thurmon to a season-ending ankle injury on their first snap. A week after losing LT Tristan Leigh (also to an ankle injury) the offensive line was shuffling positions to hold things together. Unsurprisingly, Pittsburgh got pressure on Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik. Despite that, he was still beating them more times than not. Klubnik had 242 passing yards and two passing TDs in the half, and Clemson entered halftime with a 17-7 lead. It wasn’t dominant or glitzy, but it seemed to be headed for a comfortable Clemson win. Rather than dialing back the pressure to stop Klubnik from picking them apart, Pitt turned it up even further. That crossed the tipping point, and Clemson’s ramshackle offensive line could no longer slow them down. Klubnik got battered through much of the second half while they continued to shut down Phil Mafah. Mafah was a non-factor all day, finishing with just 17 yards on 17 carries. The Pitt defense sacked Klubnik five times, and he was just 5-13 with 21 yards passing in the second half before the final drive. Clemson’s defense, which had held Pitt off the scoreboard in the second and third quarters, faltered late in the game. With Wade Woodaz (hip) and DeMonte Capehart (ankle) already out and Sammy Brown ejected for targeting, the depth late in a game with fatigue setting in was tested. The Tiger defense allowed a 68-yard FG drive, a 58-yard TD drive, and a 26-yard FG drive consecutively to surrender 13 unanswered points and give Pitt a 20-17 lead with 1:36 remaining. The last time Clemson played Pittsburgh they scored just 17 points in a disappointing 27-17 loss with DJ Uiagalelei. It felt like Groundhog Day all over again. What greater symbol could there be for how the program was stuck in neutral than that? Three more plays. That’s what it took to break free from those doldrums. First, an 18-yard strike was made to Antonio Williams on the left. Then a 7-yard out route to Jake Briningstool on the right. The offense, for the first time all half, was moving. Offensive coordinator Garrett Riley then caught the Pitt defense off-guard with a called QB Draw. A great block by Mafah allowed Klubnik to burst through a massive hole for an easy first down. The safety bore down to make the stop, but Klubnik pivoted to the right, and in a split second, the safety found himself trying to catch Klubnik from behind. T.J. Moore made a great block on the cornerback, and Klubnik darted by. At that point, his speed took over, and nobody could catch him. After a paltry eight rushing yards in the game, Klubnik put Clemson back on top with a 50-yard dash. Pitt had one more chance and pushed into Clemson territory, but navigating the dwindling clock and Clemson’s blitzing defense proved too much. Clemson escaped with a 24-20 victory. This win showed Clemson’s heart and winning culture while also exposing some concerning weaknesses. On defense, Clemson rushed the passer with great success finishing with 8 sacks including 4 from DE T.J. Parker. They harassed QB Nate Yarnell most of the day but faltered in the fourth quarter. Perhaps tired and digging too deep into their reserves, Clemson allowed three straight scoring drives. The depth of talent just isn’t where it was when the manta “we too deep” was coined. Remember when there was so much depth on the defensive line that D.J. Reader – now an NFL player with a $50 million contract – wasn’t a starter? Peter Woods moved back inside to defensive tackle and showed just how dominant he is when playing at his natural position on the inside. Of course, he was moved to defensive end at the start of the year because of depth issues at that position. Clemson, in the NIL era, must find a way to bring the roster closer to where it was six years ago. On offense, the story was more about injuries to the offensive line. With Marcus Tate, Leigh, Collin Sadler, and Thurmon all injured, Klubnik was hurried all day and sacked five times. This is less of a programmatic-level issue but a glaring concern with an improved South Carolina defensive line waiting in two weeks. That’s certainly the game that will define the season. Barring some help elsewhere in the ACC, Clemson is looking at a season where they will miss out on the ACC Championship and playoff. With the remaining bowl games now left to be nothing more than exhibitions, the real finale is the Palmetto Bowl. With a win, Clemson could finish the regular season at 10-2 with wins over the three biggest rivals they faced: Florida State, NC State, and South Carolina. With a loss, that narrative shifts. Clemson would have lost to the only strong opponents they faced and dropped to 5-7 since 2020 against P4 non-conference opponents. With a much weaker conference schedule than originally anticipated, the win totals would look like little more than Boise State beating up on Mountain West opponents. Against Pitt, Clemson showed resilience battling through injuries and coming back after blowing a late lead. Klubnik showed moxie, leadership, and fight. At the same time, they suffered injuries that rendered them only a shade better than a fading Pittsburgh team. They’ll have to overcome them before a surprisingly good South Carolina squad comes to Death Valley.
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