Clemson Tigers Clutch Late 24-20 Win Over Pittsburgh Panthers

The Clemson Tigers almost blew an early lead to the Pittsburgh Panthers, but a clutch run from their quarterback secured the win.

Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) scrambles with the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers nearly fell to the Pittsburgh Panthers, but their star quarterback came in clutch to secure a 24-20 victory.

After being shut out for most of the second half, star quarterback Cade Klubnik broke off 50-yard run with just over a minute remaining, which eventually won the game. It was the second-longest rush of his career and 18th touchdown on the ground.

Klubnik and receiver Antonio Williams were the biggest offensive contributors in this one.

Williams had a impressive 13 rushes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. It was the biggest game of his career and the Tigers would not have beaten the Panthers without him.

The Clemson quarterback had felt the pressure in this one as they had to deal with a very injured offensive line. Pittsburgh had five sacks and nine quarterback hurries.

The Tigers also had to deal with a nightmare situation at linebacker after being without two of their top three starters for different reasons.

Star junior linebacker Wade Woodaz traveled with the team, but came out of the locker room in street clothes and missed the game with an injury.

That set up freshman Sammy Brown for a bigger role and huge opportunity, but he ended up getting tossed because of a very obvious targeting call. It was at least in the first half so he won't be out next week if Woodaz still needs time to recover.

Panthers running back Desmond Reid was highlighted as someone that could generate big plays and hurt defense, given their issues with smaller backs in the past. That's exactly what he did.

Reid hurt Clemson both on the ground and through the air with X total yards on X touches including gains of both 43 and 34. Most of his rushes weren't too damaging, but his 43-yard run set up the first Pittsburgh touchdown of the day.

The Panthers were without their starting quarterback, but it ended up not mattering as backup Nate Yarnell shredded the Tigers defense anyway.

Yarnell was 34-54 for 350 yards and a touchdown, having an efficient day of passing against a normally stout Tigers secondary. He also had an interception on the last play of the game.

Barrett Carer had a huge day on defense with a team-high 11 tackles with two going for a loss and half a sack. He also picked up two other pressures and a pass break up.

The defense came up late, stopping Pittsburgh on the final drive of the game and locking the victory up.