PITTSBURGH, Pa. – While there was plenty of drama in No. 20 Clemson’s comeback win over Pitt on Saturday, there was also some controversy.

There were several questionable calls, or non-calls made throughout. And on both sides. One of the biggest came late in the fourth quarter when Dee Crayton was flagged for a hands to the face call.

However, the controversy lied in how the call came about. With 3:52 left in the contest and the Panthers driving looking to take their first lead of the game, Crayton hit Pitt QB Nate Yarnell in the face as he sacked the backup QB. No flag was thrown.

While the Pitt medical staff was tending to an injured player on the field, minutes after the play had ended, suddenly a flag appeared. The officials had decided after further discussions that Crayton had in fact committed the penalty. The sack was nullified and instead of 3rd and long in their own territory, it was 1st and 10 at the Clemson 39. Six plays later Ben Sauls drilled a 47-yard FG that put Pitt up 20-17. It was their first lead of the game and came with just 1:36 left.

“I have never been a part of that,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “I was at Notre Dame in overtime, I think that was in ’20 when they reviewed the play, changed it, and then we are getting ready to snap it and they reviewed the review. I never been a part of that and I never been a part of what we were a part of tonight. Never been a part of it.”

Clemson would come back and win the game thanks to a 50-yard touchdown run by Cade Klubnik with just over a minute left, but the way this call played out left a sour taste in the mouths of some.

It was very similar to how a controversial sequence played out in Austin earlier in the season when Texas was hosting Georgia. After fans were unhappy with a call made during the game, they littered the field with water bottles. During the cleanup, officials decided to reverse the call. It appeared the refs were intimidated into changing the call. Either way, a terrible precedent was set in the process.

While nothing was thrown on the field on Saturday, a player being down on the field with an injury gave the officials time to listen to the chorus of boos raining down on them. If the player is not injured, the ball gets snapped and there is no penalty. Instead, we have more controversy surrounding ACC officials.

Make no mistake, a flag should have been thrown but it wasn’t. And a hands to the face penalty is not reviewable.

“I mean they missed the call,” Swinney added. “It was a hands to the face but you can’t review hands to the face. And if the guy is not hurt, I think the ball gets snapped.”

That call was one of several that were questionable throughout the game, and one Clemson’s head coach plans to get some clarification on from the ACC office.

“And there were tough calls on both sides,” Swinney said.

“Never been a part of that. Can’t wait to have a conversation about that one.”

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