PITTSBURGH – Another week, another road game for Clemson.

The No. 20 Tigers travel to Pitt for a noon kick, the second straight week Dabo Swinney’s team has gone on the road. It is also the final road contest of the regular season.

Clemson (7-2, 6-1) comes in needing a win to keep its slim ACC Championship hopes alive. The Panthers (7-2, 3-2) come in reeling, having lost two straight and in both games, quarterback Eli Holstein left with head injuries. It is looking unlikely that he plays on Saturday.

In fact, in Pitt’s loss to Virginia last weekend, several players left injured, meaning at the very least, this looks like a team that is a little beat up at the moment. However, one thing you can bank on, and that is Pat Narduzzi will put an aggressive defense on the field on Saturday.

Running the ball against this Pitt defense has been extremely difficult for many opponents this season. The Panthers are allowing just 2.9 yards per carry, so it will be interesting to see what kind of success running back Phil Mafah has. The senior back has gone over the century mark in four of the past five games and is averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. This will be strength vs. strength.

If the Tigers can’t get Mafah going, that puts that much more pressure on a passing game that has been inconsistent over the past two games. Cade Klubnik looked more like the quarterback from last year in the first half against Virginia Tech, but to his credit, looked much better in the second half. This offense will need four quarters from him on Saturday. It will also need him to make some plays with his legs, particularly when it comes to extending plays.

Klubnik will also need more help from his pass catchers. He was the victim of six drops against the Hokies and with this Pitt secondary being better than what Clemson saw last week in Blacksburg, the receivers will need to bring it. The Panthers’ defensive backs will play some man-on-man so these wideouts will need to win some of those battles.

Where the Tigers really need to win is the battle along the lines of scrimmage. Football games tend to be won or lost in the trenches and this one isn’t likely to be any different.

Pitt is going to bring the pressure and they will bring it from everywhere. The Panthers are third in the ACC in sacks (30) and second in tackles for loss (73). This Clemson offensive line is a little beat up on the left side, but freshman Elyjah Thurmon held up really well at LT in place of Tristan Leigh in his most extensive action of the season last week. The Tigers will need a repeat performance if Leigh can’t go.

That also means Klubnik will need to make quick decisions and get the ball out on time. Over the past two games, he has tended to hold onto the ball a tad too long and it resulted in multiple sacks against the Hokies.

This one has all the makings of a fairly low-scoring affair. There has been rain in the area on Thursday and Friday, so it will be interesting to see what kind of condition the field is on Saturday.

Last weekend in Blacksburg, this Clemson defense finally put four quarters together. That was the defense most were expecting to see coming into the season. Expect Wes Goodwin to once again scheme something up to put pressure on the backup quarterback and another solid performance on that side of the ball.

The Tigers will win the turnover battle and do just enough on the offensive side to come away with a win and keep their slim ACC Championship hopes alive.

Clemson 27 Pitt 17

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!