Every week in the past, it appeared as if Saturday afternoon’s matchup between No. 20 Clemson and host Pitt would not have any actual stakes concerning the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
Miami then was upset by Georgia Tech, and so the Hurricanes and Tigers are tied with one loss every in Atlantic Coast Convention play as mid-November approaches.
Because the Tigers (7-2, 6-1) journey to Pittsburgh this weekend, a Clemson berth within the ACC title sport continues to be attainable, which suggests an computerized berth within the 12-team CFP stays attainable.
SMU stands alone in first place within the convention with a 5-0 recodr.
“We have talked about how nice it might be to get to 7-1 (in ACC play). That is the most effective we are able to end at this level, so that is what we are able to management,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney stated this week. “We’re nonetheless within the thick of it. We do not management what different groups are doing, however we deal with what we are able to management.”
Clemson scored a 24-14 win at Virginia Tech final week. Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns, whereas Phil Mafah rushed for 128 yards on 26 carries.
However Swinney was particularly annoyed with Klubnik holding the ball too lengthy and taking pointless sacks.
“Simply stuff that we would have liked him to do as a quarterback and choices. He took 4 sacks, each sack was on him, and none of them ought to have occurred,” Swinney stated. “He simply tried to perform a little an excessive amount of a pair occasions, simply irritating, (and) was a few performs there that we did not pull the set off on.”
The quarterback place is also regarding for Pitt (7-2, 3-2), which began the season with seven consecutive wins however has back-to-back losses, dropping out of the playoff rankings this week.
Redshirt freshman QB Eli Holstein, a switch from Alabama, left within the third quarter of a 24-19 loss to Virginia on Saturday with an obvious head damage. Holstein was hit whereas sliding on a second-and-4 scramble, and Cavaliers linebacker Trey McDonald was ejected for focusing on on the play.
When requested about Holstein’s standing for the Clemson sport, Pitt coach Patt Narduzzi was non-committal.
“Our docs make all these choices,” he stated. “I want I may inform you. I do not even go all the way down to the coaching room to see. I keep out of the coaching room. That is not my job. My job is to educate soccer and let among the finest medical trainers within the nation handle (it).”
If Holstein is sidelined, it is possible that Nate Yarnell will begin at quarterback. He accomplished solely 4 of 12 passes for 44 yards and threw two interceptions within the loss to Virginia.
Since Pitt joined the ACC in 2011, the Panthers and Tigers have met 4 occasions. The collection is 2-2. Pitt leads the all-time collection 3-2 and received the latest assembly 27-17 in 2021.
After Saturday’s sport, Clemson will shut the common season at house in opposition to the Citadel and No. 21 South Carolina, whereas Pitt will finish with street video games in opposition to No. 19 Louisville and Boston Faculty.
–Subject Degree Media
