PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Peter Woods says T.J. Parker is like a bomb.

“You don’t know when he is going to blow up. But he is going to blow up,” Woods said.

Parker blew up Pittsburgh’s offensive game plan in the 20th-ranked Tigers’ 24-20 victory Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. The sophomore defensive end recorded four sacks, which was exactly half of he Tigers’ eight.

“T.J., he was special,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “He had the one strip-sack-turnover and we screwed it up and did not get points on that.”

Parker recorded a career-high and school-record-tying 4.0 sacks. It matched four-sack efforts by Keith Adams vs. Duke in 1999, Andre Branch vs. Virginia Tech in 2011 and Austin Bryant vs. Auburn in 2017.

“I am just proud of him. He works super hard,” Woods said. “It just goes to show that the practice we had, and we had a great week of practice, preparation and that is what we put on display, as a defense, as a defensive front.”

Clemson’s defensive front owned the Panthers’ offensive line. When the Tigers were not getting to quarterback Nate Yarnell, they were harassing him and hitting him all afternoon.

With his first sack, Parker surpassed his previous single-season career high set last season (5.5). After Saturday’s four-sack performance he has nine sacks.

On his second sack, Parker forced his fourth forced fumble of the season, moving him within one of the school record for caused fumbles in a single season (five by Brandon Maye in 2009).

Despite not having linebacker Wade Woodaz (leg injury) and losing linebacker Sammy Brown to ejection and safety R.J. Mickens to injury, the Tigers forced two turnovers and had 16 tackles for loss.

They also dug deep and got a stop at the end of the game to secure the victory. Safety Khalil Barnes intercepted Yarnell on the last play of the game to secure the victory.

“That is just who we are as a defense,” Woods said. “We defend every blade of grass. When we are backed up on our own goal line. There is no question we are going to respond. That is what we do.”