PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Cade Klubnik sprinted 50 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 1:16 remaining and No. 20 (CFP) Clemson fended off Pittsburgh 24-20 on Saturday.
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The Tigers (8-2, 7-1 ACC) had done little on the ground all day before the junior quarterback tucked the ball and raced past a handful of stunned defenders to keep Clemson's outside hopes of reaching the ACC championship game alive.
Klubnik finished with 288 yards and two touchdown passes through the air and added 41 yards on the ground, almost all the positive yardage coming on his zig-zag through the Pitt secondary just 20 seconds after the Panthers had taken the lead on a 47-yard field goal by Ben Sauls.
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Antonio Williams caught 13 passes for 149 yards and two scores for the Tigers, who need No. 12 Miami to lose one of its final two games or No. 14 SMU to drop its last two contests to reach the ACC title game in Charlotte on Dec. 7.
Nate Yarnell, starting for injured Eli Holstein, threw for 350 yards, including a game-tying touchdown to Gavin Bartholomew with 7:05 to go. The last of Yarnell's 55 pass attempts was picked off by Clemson's Khalil Barnes at the goal line as time expired.
Desmond Reid had 176 yards for the Panthers (7-3, 3-3), who out-gained Clemson 438-346 and dominated the second half until Klubnik took advantage of Pitt's relentless pressure by stepping up in the pocket and finding plenty of room to run.
TAKEAWAYS
Clemson: The Tigers are not the juggernaut they were at the start of the decade and Klubnik's season will likely not end with him becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist but he provided a signature moment that helped Clemson survive on a day the Tigers had managed all of 8 yards on the ground until their last offensive snap.
Pitt: The Panthers played with passion if not precision. It just wasn't enough to prevent them from a third straight loss following a 7-0 start. The pre-snap issues that have dogged Pitt recently popped up again, most notably early in the fourth quarter when a first-and-goal from inside the Clemson 5 turned into a short field goal by Sauls after illegal formation, delay of game and false start penalties.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Don't expect the Tigers to move up too much in either the AP Top 25 or the College Football Playoff ranking after struggling to do much of anything over the final 30 minutes against Pitt.
UP NEXT
Clemson: hosts The Citadel next Saturday.
Pitt: travels to No. 22 Louisville next Saturday.
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