The good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s loss to Pitt

For the first time since its rout of FCS member South Carolina State on Sept. 11, Clemson played a game that was in hand well before the final minutes Saturday. This time, though, the Tigers were the on the receiving end of the beating. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s 27-17 loss to Pittsburgh.

The good

So many things are going bad offensively that any positives on that side of the ball are sticking out like a sore thumb. The running game is one of them.

The Tigers continued to make strides on the ground with 164 yards, their second-highest total against an FBS opponent this season. Clemson, which began the day averaging 142 yards on the ground for the season, is averaging more than 170 rushing yards over its last three games.

Clemson finished the day at 5.5 yards per carry. That was aided by the return of freshman running back Will Shipley, who came back from a lower leg injury he sustained against North Carolina State four weeks earlier.  Shipley led the way with 52 yards on 10 carries while quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei finished with 50 yards on just eight carries. Kobe Pace and Phil Mafah saw their workloads decreased with Shipley back in the fold but still combined for 47 yards on 10 carries.

The Tigers also got a boost on the interior of the defensive line with the early return of Tyler Davis, who played for the first time since the Georgia Tech game on Sept. 18. The original timeline for Davis’ return was seven to eight weeks after he had surgery on his bicep shortly after that game, but he rotated in Saturday with a heavy brace on his right arm, finishing with two tackles.

The special-teams unit wasn’t called on to execute any tricks plays Saturday, but B.T. Potter continued what’s been a strong finish to his college career. He got one crack at a field goal and connected on it to improve to 7 on 8 on field goals this season. Including extra points, he’s 24 of 25 on all of his kicks.

The bad

Given the success Clemson had running the ball — and the issues the Tigers have had trying to throw it all season — the decision to go away from the ground game was a peculiar one, particularly late in the first half.

The Tigers ripped off 5.9 yards a pop to eclipse 100 yards on the ground before the first two quarters were over. Yet when Clemson got the ball back in a 7-7 game with 3 minutes, 18 seconds left in the second quarter, the Tigers went with three straight passes. Two incompletions and a drop by Ajou Ajou gave the ball right back to the Panthers, who proceeded to march 67 yards in nine plays for the go-ahead touchdown.

Asked about the reason for that afterward, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney didn’t offer much of an explanation.

“We’ll evaluate that once we go through the tape, but I thought (offensive coordinator) Tony (Elliott) called a great game,” he said. “I thought he had a good plan. Again, we just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities.”

Defensively, Clemson had its worst showing of the season over the final two and a half quarters. Pitt’s offense is as good as there is in the country, at least when it comes to throwing the ball, but the Panthers only punted once after their first three possessions. Their last one came with 11:19 left in the second quarter as Pitt rolled up 464 total yards and went 10 of 18 on third down.

The Tigers also lost the turnover margin for just the second time this season on Uiagalelei’s two interceptions. The first one — a pick thrown in the red zone on Clemson’s second possession — cost Clemson points while SirVocea Dennis’ pick-six on the shovel pass early in the third quarter gave the Panthers a two-touchdown lead that felt like three or four given the way Clemson’s offense is playing.

Speaking of…

The ugly

To say Clemson’s offense is in a tailspin might not do it justice.

Swinney didn’t mince words when discussing the unit’s latest clunker, one in which Uiagalalei largely reverted back to the inaccuracies that have plagued him for much of the season. He completed less than half of his passes (12 of 25) for the third time in four games, a receiving corps decimated by attrition had another case of the drops when his passes were on target, and the list of injuries only grew longer.

“It’s just a combination of immaturity, youth, lack of confidence, and all of those things affect your rhythm,” Swinney said. “The kids, they’re trying hard. We’re just not very good right now, but I believe in our guys. I believe in our coaches. We’ve got to keep grinding.”

Matt Bockhorst was the latest loss for Clemson along the offensive line when he was rolled up in the first quarter and never returned. Swinney said the fifth-year guard likely tore his ACL.

Swinney revealed afterward receiver Frank Ladson, who didn’t play, is also done for the season after having surgery on his groin. Tight end Braden Galloway might also be done for the season after banging up his shoulder early, though Swinney couldn’t confirm that Saturday.

The hits just keep coming for Clemson.