Five burning questions for Clemson vs. Pitt
No. 2 Clemson (12-0, 8-0) will face Pitt (7-5, 6-2) on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the ACC championship game. The matchup will be televised by ABC.
Here are our top five questions heading into the game:
Can Clemson’s defense bounce back?
Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said the Clemson defense had a strong week of practice as he spoke at the ACC championship preview press conference Friday afternoon in Charlotte. The Tigers allowed 600 yards and 35 points last week against South Carolina in a performance that defensive coordinator Brent Venables called “embarrassing.” Pitt keeps the ball on the ground, which is the opposite of what South Carolina did, but the biggest problem for the Tigers against USC was a lack of communication and players making mental mistakes.
“We did not line up well. We were really poor with our eyes, and we did not play proper technique and leverage,” Swinney said. “We’ve worked hard. Our guys have had an awesome year. They’ve had an unbelievable year, unbelievable year defensively. Had a bad night last week, but they did some good things, too. They were eager to get back to work this week. I think we’ll play well.”
How can Pitt slow down Clemson’s offense?
The Tigers played their best offensive game of the season and one of the best in school history last week against South Carolina, finishing with 56 points and 744 total yards. Clemson has a balanced attack as the Tigers are averaging 283 passing yards and 253 rushing yards per game. That’s bad news for a Pittsburgh defense that is No. 69 nationally, allowing 400 yards per game. Slowing down Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and the rest of Clemson’s offense will not be easy.
Can Pitt play up to its competition again?
The Panthers have already played one potential College Football Playoff team this season in Notre Dame and Pitt gave the Irish a scare in South Bend. Pitt led 7-6 at halftime and jumped out to a 14-6 lead early in the third quarter before Notre Dame battled back to score the final 13 points of the game. Still, Pat Narduzzi’s team learned that day that it is capable of playing with anyone in the country.
“We faced some pretty good football teams, now. It’s not like we’ve played the Sisters of the Poor. When you look at Notre Dame, they’re right now potentially a playoff team. We played them probably as good as anybody did in the country,” Narduzzi said. “You look at Central Florida. I don’t know if anybody would want to play them in the country... Penn State is a good football team as well. We’ve been through a journey at Pittsburgh.”
How much will experience matter?
Clemson is playing for its fourth consecutive ACC championship and is accustomed to playing in prime time. As Swinney said Friday, he didn’t need directions to Bank of America Stadium. Pitt is in the spotlight for a rare occurrence as the Panthers are playing in the ACC championship game for the first time after joining the league in 2013. Clemson also has a veteran team, led by its defense, with players that have won a national title and played on the biggest stage in college football.
How big is the gap between Clemson and the rest of the ACC?
Clemson is 12-0 and playing for its fourth consecutive ACC title and College Football Playoff berth. Its opponent is 7-5 and won a Coastal Division that did not have any teams that were particularly impressive during the 2018 regular season. Narduzzi admitted that there is a gap between Clemson and the rest of the league, and that has been apparent over the past few years. We will see how big the gap is on Saturday.
This story was originally published November 30, 2018 at 4:14 PM.
