After escaping Syracuse with a 17-14 win on Friday night, Clemson will face its next test at 3:30 p.m. this coming Saturday against Pittsburgh and its high-powered offense at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
On the ACC Network on Saturday, ACCN analysts Mark Richt and E.J. Manuel discussed the upcoming matchup between the Tigers (4-2, 3-1 ACC) and Panthers (5-1, 2-0).
Pittsburgh, which won at Virginia Tech, 28-7, on Saturday, is ranked third in the FBS in scoring offense at 48.3 points per game. Meanwhile, Clemson’s defense ranks second nationally (behind Georgia) in scoring defense, allowing just 12.5 points per game.
Clemson’s offense, on the other hand, is averaging just 20.5 points per game, and Richt believes the Tigers will need to put up more points than that in order to come away from Pittsburgh victorious against the Panthers.
“That’s going to be a lot of fun,” Richt, the former UGA and Miami head coach, said of the Clemson-Pitt game. “Will that offense do anything against Clemson’s defense? Their defense has been so strong. I’ve got a feeling they’ll put at least 28 on Clemson, and I don’t know if Clemson can keep pace.”
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett went 22-of-37 passing for 203 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech. Through six games this season, the senior has completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 1,934 yards and 21 touchdowns with just one interception.
The Panthers are fifth in the country in total offense, averaging 533.5 yards per game. In comparison, the Tigers are averaging only 322.3 yards per game — 115th in the FBS.
“Pitt is going to challenge Clemson offensively, so they’re going to have to find ways to score points, whether they do it on the defensive side or on special teams,” said Manuel, the former Florida State and NFL quarterback. “But Clemson’s not going to win that game by just scoring 28 points, especially if Kenny Pickett gets hot.”
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