A significant ACC showdown is set to take place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday between Clemson and No. 23 Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.
It’s a game that ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard is really looking forward to watching.
“I want to see Clemson and Pitt,” he said on ESPN’s College GameDay show Saturday morning. “Clemson, I do believe, has a championship-style defense. The offense is going to have to possess the ball — no more three-and-outs — to keep the defense off the field. But Kenny Pickett and Pitt, explosive offense. I think he should start to get a little bit more Heisman buzz, too.”
Through six games this season, Pickett has completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 1,934 yards and 21 touchdowns with just one interception.
Pitt’s offense enters the contest ranked second nationally in points per game scored (48.3), while Clemson’s defense ranks second in the FBS in points per game allowed (12.5).
“I think we all can agree that Clemson has a championship-level defense with James Skalski in the middle,” Howard said. “You’ve got Nolan Turner on the back end. But now they’re going to go up against Kenny Pickett, and this is an offense that’s No. 2 in the nation, scoring 48 points a game. By far, the most talented quarterback they’ll see all season long. And Pitt, they run the ball pretty well, too.”
ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis pointed out that Clemson is an underdog against an ACC opponent for the first time since 2016, snapping a 48-game streak of being favored against conference competition.
When he looks at the numbers, Davis doesn’t expect the Tigers’ offense (20.5 points per game, 113th nationally) to be able to keep pace with the Panthers’ high-powered attack.
Davis called this game “the last stand” for Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC), which will need to pull out a victory against Pitt (5-1, 2-0) to keep realistic ACC Championship hopes alive.
“Pitt, if their stats and their schedule are who they say they are, they will beat Clemson because the Tigers can’t score and score the way the Panthers do,” Davis said. “It feels like the last stand for Clemson.”
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