#H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

[frappuccino]

hehe

[moose141]

Panthers, Tigers Set to Write Another Chapter in Rivalry
Report by Matt Schmidlin | December 9, 2022

The Clemson Tigers are the Beatles of the ACC. Longevity has blessed Tigers fans with incredible success, from the title years of Frank Howard in the 1950s through Dabo Swinney's dominant run, Clemson has penned 18 #1 Hits (conference titles), including a pair that culminated in back to back national titles in 2016 and 2017.

The Pitt Panthers are the Weeknd. They're Ed Sheeran. They're Justin Bieber. New to the top of the charts, but putting out new top hits in nearly every year. With a three peat of conference championships from 2018-20, the Panthers want to take that legendary mantle from the Tigers.

This will be the fourth time in seven seasons that these two chart toppers have dueled for ACC supremacy.

"Clemson is a household name," Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. "But now Pitt is too; we're right in that same sentence with them ever since that first matchup in Charlotte."

The Tigers won the first showdown in 2016, outgunning the Panthers early behind star quarterback Deshaun Watson, outlasting a late Panther surge, and forcing a critical Jester Weah fumble in the final minute to avenge an earlier regular season loss to Pitt and seal up the ACC in what would become a national title season.

After another Clemson title in 2017, the two schools duelled again in 2018, with the Panthers stifling the Tigers en route to their first outright conference title ever as the Kenny Pickett era unfolded in Pittsburgh. This would begin a string of three straight ACC titles for the Panthers under Pickett's guidance, with a gap year title over NC State before another showdown with Clemson in 2020 that culminated in a tremendous come-from-behind victory for the Panthers.

Unlike Clemson, Pitt was never able to cap those championship seasons with a national title, despite making the playoff in all three seasons. Their closest call came in 2020 when they lost to Alabama in the national title game after Pickett left midway through the contest with a concussion.

Predictably, Clemson evaded the Panthers in 2021, snagging another conference championship by knocking off North Carolina in a shootout.

Now, much like they've done in every even year since 2016, the two ACC heavyweights will showdown in Charlotte for what will almost certainly culminate in a berth in the College Football Playoff.

"There's some competitive hatred there," Narduzzi said. "We respect those guys and how impressive they are, but when the same team stands in your way over and over again, it motivates you even more to knock them out."

That competitive fire will see one of these two schools penning yet another #1 hit at the expense of their newest rival.

[Careless Whisper]

Love everything about that preview. The music symbolism was superb and makes complete sense for both sides, and you really did a good job at showcasing the significance of this rivalry. And you already nail it from a presentation standpoint, but the embedding of the previous meetings' videos is *chef's kiss*.

Can't wait for this one!

[moose141]

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

Love everything about that preview. The music symbolism was superb and makes complete sense for both sides, and you really did a good job at showcasing the significance of this rivalry. And you already nail it from a presentation standpoint, but the embedding of the previous meetings' videos is *chef's kiss*. Can't wait for this one!

Thanks CW! Each team has been a roadblock for the other's success, and when you see teams like that again and again in postseason play you can't help but build up some animosity for them, even if it's not true "rivalry" like with your local schools. Those were some fantastic contests that we've played through the years, and I really enjoyed going back and watching through the film of some of the big plays; that fumble in season one still crushes me to this day! Can't wait to write this next installment.

[moose141]

#PantherNation Preview: Clemson
Report by Matt Schmidlin | December 10, 2022

What: #2 Pitt (12-0) vs. #3 Clemson (11-1)
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
When: Saturday, December 10, 2022, 7:00 PM EST
Watch:
Listen: Pitt Panthers Radio Network

Game Line Pres. by FanDuel: Pitt (-2)
ESPN Prediction: Pitt

Last Meeting (2020): 24-17 Pitt
All Time Series: 4-2 Pitt
Dynasty Series: 3-2 Pitt

Blast from the Past - 2016: Clemson 31, Pitt 24

In a pre-playoff world, Pitt and Clemson faced off in an instant classic that would see the winner heading to the BCS championship game. Clemson jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before a George Aston TD plunge on fourth down put Pitt on the scoreboard. Trading FGs saw Clemson lead 17-13 at halftime, and Wayne Gallman's second TD run put Clemson up 24-13 in the third quarter. Pitt eventually knotted the game midway through the fourth quarter on a supreme individual effort by Tre Tipton, who willed his way into the endzone past the Clemson defense. Deshaun Watson found Mike Williams just a minute last for the go ahead score, as Clemson led, 31-24. Pitt drove down the field looking to equalize on their final drive, with two incredible fourth down conversions including a one handed snag on 4th and 16 from then-freshman Aaron Mathews. However, the comeback would be all for naught as Jester Weah would see the ball jarred from his grasp in the redzone with under a minute to play, which Clemson would recover and run out the remaining clock to claim the title. The Tigers went on to win the national championship over Oklahoma.

Blast from the Past: Part Deux - 2018: Pitt 24, Clemson 3

In a game featuring much less drama than 2016, Pitt systematically dismantled Clemson, holding the Tigers to just 156 yards of total offense en route to a 24-3 victory to claim their first ever outright conference title. Qadree Ollison led the way for the Panthers with a 120 yard, 2 TD performance to earn player of the game honors, while then-sophomore QB Kenny Pickett completed 15/20 passes for 155 yards and a TD. Pitt DE Shaun Wolfgang was on another planet in this game, hounding Clemson QB Kelly Bryant constantly to the tune of 3 sacks and a total of 4 tackles for loss. Bryant ended up passing for just 74 yards on the day, one of the lowest passing outputs ever recorded by a Pitt opponent during Pat Narduzzi's tenure as head coach. Pitt went on to lose in the semifinals of the CFP to eventual national champion Washington.

Blast from the Past: Rubber Match - 2020: Pitt 24, Clemson 17

Echoing this year's upcoming contest, it was win and you're in for both teams as they vied for conference supremacy and a bid to the CFP. The #4 Panthers fell behind early but rallied late with 14 unanswered points in the final stanza to squeak past #3 Clemson, 24-17. In a committee-like effort, the Panthers got significant contributions from Kenny Pickett with a pair of TD passes, CJ London reaching the century mark on the ground, and star wideout Jay Keyes notching a pair of TDs (including a critical 4th quarter, 4th down score) to help secure the win. Then-sophomore Matt Townsend had a pair of sacks for the Tigers in the loss, and will be terrorizing Pitt's backfield again this year. Pitt went on to reach the national title game, losing to Alabama in a thriller.

Youth Movement Keys Both Squads

2022's matchup may not be the last time members of these two teams face off in meaningful contests. Both teams are led by young stars across the board, setting up a potential look ahead for a preview of the 2023 ACC title game as well. Offensively, Pitt is led by the four horsemen of second year studs, with sophomores QB CJ Kirk and HB Da'vion Reynolds and redshirt freshmen WR Ceno Rodgers III and TE Christian Klumpp all with at least one more year left in Oakland. Clemson's young studs can be found largely on the defensive side of the ball, with star sophomore FS Jaylon Lindsay headlining a unit that features an insane total of FOUR freshman starters, including MLB Tyler Christian who spurned interest from the Panthers last recruiting cycle to commit to the Tigers. While this game seems to be an evebn year only affair, don't be shocked to see that cycle broken next year in a rematch of these two programs.

Spotlight on: Clemson's Defensive Line

Senior leader Matt Townsend has been here before. The 2021 All-American starred for the Tigers team that lost to the Panthers in 2020, racking up 2 sacks in the ACC championship defeat. After helping Clemson win the ACC and reach the playoff for the first time in his career in 2021, Townsend is looking to help lead a young and hungry group to the next level this season. Freshman sensational Kayshon Anderson has been the beneficiary of all the double teams Townsend sees, totaling a team leading 8.5 sacks. Quinton Bryant is a monster in the middle, and is only a freshman as well, while rotational end rusher Casey White (ALSO a freshman) should assume Townsend's spot opposite Anderson next year. This Clemson front four is fearsome and is here to stay.

Matchup to Watch: Clemson CB Nathan Scott vs. Pitt WR Ceno Rodgers III

Ceno Rodgers III debut season for the Panthers has been special, reminding Pitt fans of former freshman stars like Jay Keyes, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tyler Boyd. After breaking out for one of the most sensational receiving performances in Pitt history (13 rec, 201 yards, TD) against Miami, Rodgers will be blanketed in coverage led by Clemson star corner Nathan Scott. Scott is one of the best at his position anywhere in the country, and with jack of all trades Robert Hearn likely offering inside leverage, Rodgers sensational route running will need to be at its very best to find room to work against the Tigers' stingy secondary.

What to Expect on the Field This Saturday



(NOTE: Take our player ratings w/ a grain of salt, I know some players do get ratings bumps midseason to some attributes so our ratings may be a smidge low. Those were ratings at the beginning of the season.)

[frappuccino]

Huge Game, Lets Go

[Hellisan]

I had the chance to catch up over the weekend and Pitt is on an impressive run. It hasn't been easy, and at times the team has dug itself a hole with slow starts and porous defense early, but inevitably, it seems like Malachi is able to kick start the defense sometime in the late 1st or 2nd quarter with a big sack, and that seems to calm the team down somewhat.

Ceno Rogers is obviously going to have a hell of a career. Having that kind of speed as a redshirt freshman is one thing, but the catches he's been making in traffic when the team had to have it are just out of this world. I really can't remember him dropping a pass during the last few games although maybe it has happened.

I have to really give praise to Kirk here, he might make a mistake early but he seems to keep the old composure pretty dang well. Against Clemson he seemed to be at or near the top of his game, he has some serious speed and overall talent at his disposal and when he's just effortlessly dropping it in the bucket like that, I don't think this Pitt team can be stopped. Take all that and then throw in a bit of just breaking tackles up the middle when he gets loose on the interior and that's a tough man to stop. Whoever you face in the playoffs (PLAYOFFTHS!!??) is going to have to find a way to disrupt him more consistently, and they have to almost get lucky and correlate pressure with when he's going deep because if they send that pressure when he's keeping on an option read or going to the flat with a quick throw they're seriously exposed.

One thing Pitt do that is super deadly is layer the passing game to all depths and widths of the field, Kirk shows the ability to consistently put the right amount of touch on the pass especially in pressure situations. Where Pitt have shown some weakness is against the running game, can the Panthers tighten that up because if so, I don't think anyone can outlast them this year.

[moose141]

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