Cade Klubnik might have saved Clemsons season.
The Tigers QB ran for a 50-yard TD with 1:16 to go to give No. 20 Clemson a 24-20 win over Pitt on Saturday.
Klubniks run came on the third play of the drive after Pitt took a 20-17 lead with 1:36 to go. Klubnik found Antonio Williams for an 18-yard gain before a seven-yard completion to Jake Briningstool. Then he made the game-winning play on what he said was a call for a QB draw with the receivers running stick routes.
Pitt still had plenty of time and a timeout to get a touchdown, but its last drive ended with a fourth-down Nate Yarnell interception near the goal line as time expired.
Yarnell started the game for Eli Holstein and played well, though he was sacked eight times by Clemsons defense. Yarnell was 34-of-54 passing for 350 yards and a TD and an interception. Before Klubniks run, it looked like he had done enough for the Panthers to pull the upset.
Pitt got its go-ahead field goal after stopping Clemson on a fourth-down run. The Pitt defense had dominated against Clemsons run game until Klubnik broke the game open. Even with the 50-yard run, Klubnik finished the game with 10 carries for 41 yards (after accounting for sack yardage taken). RB Phil Mafah had 17 yards on 17 carries.
The Tigers are now 7-1 in ACC play and 8-2 overall with two non-conference games to go. However, they need a loss from No. 9 Miami or No. 14 SMU if they want to play for the ACC title or some help from Louisville and Georgia Tech.
The conference is likely going to come down to the common opponent tiebreaker and Louisville has two conference losses to Georgia Techs three. Assuming the Cardinals stay ahead of the Yellow Jackets in the standings, Clemson would be on the wrong side of a head-to-head tiebreaker against Miami or a three-way tiebreaker against both Miami and SMU because both the Hurricanes and Mustangs beat the Cardinals and Clemson did not.
To avoid that scenario and make the ACC title game, Clemson needs to end up in a two-way tie for first-place, finish in a solo second or have Georgia Tech pass Louisville in the conference standings to change the common opponent tiebreaker with Miami.
Got all that? Good. Theres still a lot to play for in the ACC over the final two weeks of the season. And all Clemson can do is watch the results from everyone else.