Takeaways | Pitt football couldn’t finish against Clemson

Pitt football fell to conference rival Clemson 24-20 this past Saturday. After a hard-fought four quarters, a late game touchdown by Clemson junior quarterback Cade Klubnik sealed the win for the Tigers. This marked Pitt’s third straight loss after falling to SMU and Virginia in the two weeks prior. 

Bad officiating

This game was filled with some terrible calls by officials — and a lack of needed ones. Late in the fourth quarter, Pitt was set up for second down, backed up near the shadow of its goal post. After the snap, redshirt junior quarterback Nate Yarnell took a blatant hit to the face that was initially disregarded by the refs. 

After about three minutes of booing from the crowd and deliberation between the refs and both head coaches, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, a flag was thrown, delivering Pitt the deserved unnecessary roughness call. The inability of the refs to make this call from the get-go is a feat in itself. One of the most obvious penalties of the game was almost completely ignored by the officials. Calls like this can make or break close games like Saturday’s, and the refs had to notice the obvious unnecessary roughness earlier. 

Pitt lacked discipline

Although there were some bad calls from the refs throughout the game, they aren’t fully responsible for Pitt’s disappointing loss. Pitt had a total of 13 penalties in the game, backing it up 100 yards. 

The most noticeable string of penalties occurred early in the fourth quarter. Yarnell passed to junior running back Desmond Reid for a gain of 19 yards, putting the Panthers in great field position at the Clemson two-yard line. From here, Pitt made three penalties in a row, moving back to the Clemson 16-yard line. 

The Panthers ultimately had to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown. In a tight game, it is absolutely crucial to take advantage of every scoring opportunity available. Pitt failing to score an easy rushing touchdown when positioned at the opponent’s two-yard line is frustrating. 

It’s even worse when this comes from a string of simple mistake penalties that are easily avoidable. Pitt scoring a touchdown rather than a field goal could have completely changed the game. 

Pitt’s defense couldn’t hold on

The Panthers’ defense has had an outstanding season and often helps Pitt win the big games. Although the defense played well for the majority of the game, it couldn’t hang on when it was needed most. 

With 1:36 on the clock and Pitt holding a three-point lead, Clemson made its final drive. In three quick plays, the Tigers scored as Klubnik came in clutch with a 50-yard rushing touchdown. 

The drive lasted 20 seconds, and Clemson quickly took a 4-point lead. It was crucial for the defense to stop the Tigers’ offense or at least hold Clemson to a field goal to keep a tied game, but the Pitt defense couldn’t do either. 

After the loss, the Panthers need to regroup before heading out on the road to wrap up this year. In the next two weeks, Pitt will take on Louisville and Boston College to round out the season.