Pitt football’s senior day celebration spoiled by Clemson comeback

Pitt football hosted No. 17 Clemson at Acrisure Stadium last Saturday. Considering it was Senior Day and a noon kickoff, the North Shore was lively before the sun rose over Pittsburgh’s skyscrapers. After a historic 7-0 start, SMU dominated Pitt and Virginia upset the Panthers at home. The Tigers were the highest-ranked team the Panthers had faced, but the fans knew they had to stay optimistic. The season had already taken a wrong turn, and Clemson was a chance to see if Pitt was headed off the cliff.

Pitt trailed 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter. After a chorus of “Let’s Go Pitt” during Sweet Caroline and sirens cueing the fourth quarter rang throughout the stadium, the already optimistic fans saw visions of what recently was — a Pitt offense that erased a 21-point deficit, including a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, against Cincinnati. They saw visions of Pitt down 10 to West Virginia scoring two touchdowns with less than five minutes to play.

The once-called “comeback kids” were playing their encore. Redshirt junior quarterback Nate Yarnell found senior tight end Gavin Bartholomew for an 8-yard touchdown pass. On a fourth-and-one stand, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jimmy Scott forced a fumble that rolled out of bounds, giving Pitt’s offense the ball. Redshirt senior placekicker Ben Sauls nailed a 35-yard field goal and a tie-breaking 49-yard field goal with 1:36 to play.

Did Pitt really just score 13 unanswered fourth-quarter points to take a late lead? Yes. These were the real Panthers. The crowd could finally breathe again, and with that breath, they let out the loudest cheer they could conjure. 

13 seconds later at exactly mid-field, Clemson junior quarterback Cade Klubnik evaded all defenders and scored a game-winning 50-yard touchdown run right in front of an aghast Panther Pitt. With just over a minute to respond, Pitt’s game-winning drive attempt ended with an interception and zeros on the clock.

Is that really how this movie ends? Pitt fit all the tropes of a team only Hollywood could dream of. Saturday was even Senior Day, and the seniors came to play.

Clemson converted on third down twice on its opening-drive march. But on Pitt’s 46-yard line, redshirt senior defensive end Nate Matlack, who had handed his family a white rose minutes prior, blew past his blocker and layed down a perfectly timed hit on Klubnik, jarring the ball free for Pitt sophomore linebacker Rasheem Biles to recover.

Klubnik and the passing offense got the Tigers into the red zone on their next drive. Klubnik scrambled for a first down, but right before he could slide, Pitt sixth-year linebacker Brandon George, who also took part in the Senior Day celebration, wrapped around Klubnik and forced another fumble. 

“For me, it’s another game. There’s still two more to win. It’s definitely going to be an emotional night. I’ve played my fair share of games at Acrisure Stadium,” George said before the Clemson game. “There’s been a bunch of fun ones. It’s hard to remember all 60-plus games. They’re all special.”

Down 7-0 early, Pitt’s offense set off a pair of explosives to get two yards short of the endzone. Even with junior running back Desmond Reid gaining 43 yards on a Yarnell pass to get there, Pitt gave the 2-yard touchdown carry to sixth-year running back Daniel Carter. Tragically, Carter suffered a lower-body injury later in the game and had to be carted off the field. Almost every Pitt player went to the cart to send their condolences to one of the longest-tenured Panthers.

After Sauls’ first field goal and with the clock ticking, Bartholomew caught the game-tying touchdown pass from Yarnell. There was no better choice for a pass of that magnitude. As the quintessential Pitt player, the senior tight end has sacrificed a lot this season. 

“We’d like to get the ball to Gavin,” head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Gavin is probably the unluckiest tight end in the country. When you watch some of the plays where he’s open, we have chances to get him the ball, and we haven’t had a chance to get it to him. But he’s open. And we have some nice plays called.”

In his fourth straight year at Pitt, Bartholomew has the most catches by a tight end in school history. At 98 career receptions, Bartholomew will likely become the 23rd Panther to eclipse the 100-catch mark.

The script was perfect. A running back and offensive coordinator duo that was doubted, cast aside their whole football lives dominating the college football landscape. A linebacker core that was so dominant that their self-given nickname not only stuck but became an identity for those who bleed royal blue and gold. Two horrible losses in a row after starting undefeated gave the team a chance to battle adversity. 

After standing at midfield for the opening coin flip, Pitt’s seniors made the necessary winning plays. But just as fast as Klubnik could reach the endzone, this story ended differently.

Pitt football still has two games to play. The Panthers travel to Louisville on Nov. 23 and Boston College on Nov. 30. No matter the outcomes of those games, Pitt reached bowl eligibility over a month ago. Even if Pitt doesn’t win another game and ends its season on a five-game losing streak, it will have a chance at taking home a trophy.