Clemson stuns Pitt on QB Cade Klubnik’s late 50-yard touchdown run

Fooling everyone with what looked like a dramatic comeback behind a backup quarterback, Pitt ended up losing, 24-20, Saturday on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik’s 50-yard touchdown run with 1 minute, 16 seconds left in the game.

The Panthers are 7-3 overall (3-3 in the ACC) after an encouraging 7-0 start to the season. Clemson (8-2, 7-1) remained alive in the race for an ACC championship berth.

On Senior Day at Acrisure Stadium, Eli Holstein’s previous head injuries — two in the previous three games — forced coach Pat Narduzzi to turn to backup Nate Yarnell to stabilize an offense that had sputtered in the previous four games.

Yarnell completed 34 0f 54 passes for 350 yards and running back Desmond Reid hobbled to a sore ankle for 176 total yards. Ben Sauls kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:36 left to give Pitt a 20-17 lead.

Clemson got the ball back without a timeout, but the Pitt defense lost track of Klubnik on a quarterback draw and he saw little more than green grass ahead.

Yarnell responded by moving Pitt to the Clemson 26, but he was intercepted by defensive back Khalil Barnes at the 2 on the final play. It marked the second straight week Yarnell ended a loss by throwing an interception.

Eight of 15 Pitt possessions ended in Clemson territory, but the offense suffered horrendous dysfunction early in the fourth quarter after getting a first down at the Tigers’ 2.

Third-string running back Derrick Davis, who entered the game in place of Reid and Daniel Carter (leg injury in the first half), lost 1 yard on first down, and a shovel pass to tight end Gavin Bartholomew moved the ball to the 1.

At that point, Pitt committed a series of 5-yard penalties — illegal formation, delay of game and false start on guard BJ Williams — pushing the offense back to the 16. At one point, Narduzzi called timeout to quell the goal-line chaos. as Davis dove into the end zone.

After Yarnell threw incomplete on third down, Narduzzi settled for Sauls’ 35-yard field goal and a 17-10 deficit with 10:55 left in the fourth quarter.

With a bigger burden, the defense forced the eighth Clemson punt of the game, and Pitt was quickly back inside the red zone — this time reaching the end zone on an 8-yard game-tying touchdown pass to Bartholomew with 7:05 left.

Once again, the defense stopped Clemson on fourth down as defensive end Jimmy Scott chased running back Phil Mahfa for a 4-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Pitt 46 with 4:17 left.

Bolstered by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Clemson linebacker Dee Crayton — and set back by a false start by guard Jason Collier — Pitt’s offense came alive to set up the Sauls for what looked like the game-winner.

After winning the coin toss at the start of the game, Narduzzi elected to delay possession until the second half for the third time in seven opportunities this season.

For a moment, the strategy appeared to pay off when linebacker Rasheem Biles recovered a Klubnik fumble — forced by linebacker Nate Matlack — at the Pitt 46.

But Pitt went three-and-out and punted to the Clemson 7. Even Caleb Junko’s 46-yard punt didn’t help. Clemson moved 93 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead with 7:20 left in the first quarter. Klubnik lasered the 14-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Williams.

Pitt responded with two explosive plays – a 24-yard catch by Poppi Williams and Reid’s 43-yard run to the 8. Pitt tied the score on a 2-yard scoring burst by Daniel Carter, the Panthers’ first touchdown on offense in the first quarter since the California game 12 October.

The tied score disappeared early in the second quarter as Clemson found holes in the Pitt secondary on consecutive plays. Klubnik hit Williams for a 28-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 lead with 11:18 left before halftime. The scoring play was preceded by a 45-yard completion to Bryant Wesco.

Pitt’s second-best scoring chance in the first half came after the Panthers lost Carter to a leg injury after he ran for 13 yards. Pitt moved to the Clemson 27, but was set back by a team penalty against right tackle Jackson Brown, who started his career.

Sauls attempted a 59-yard field goal that would have set a school record, but the kick was wide right.

Four minutes later, Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser was on target with his 53-yard field-goal attempt with three seconds left in the half that gave the Tigers a 17-7 halftime lead.