In the biggest upset of the season to this point, Chris Blewitt's 48-yard field goal with six seconds left gave the Pitt Panthers a 43-42 victory over the #2 Clemson Tigers.
Clemson had survived several close calls this season, but could not survive this one. It was their first home loss to an unranked opponent since 2008, and snapped their 46-game winning streak over unranked teams. The loss also ended Clemson's 21-game home winning streak, which was the longest in the country.
Both sides went back and forth in a wild first half, but a missed extra point field goal from Blewitt gave Clemson a 28-27 lead going into the halftime break.
The second half was no different, but a one-yard touchdown run by Wayne Gallman at the end of the third quarter pushed Clemson to a 42-34 advantage. Both defenses stepped up after that, yet it looked like Pitt looked ready to tie that game when James Conner ran for a 20-yard touchdown with just over five minutes to play. However, Pitt could not make the two-point conversion, and it looked like the Tigers were going to escape again.
But the Panthers would get one more chance. After stopping Clemson on a 4th & 1 attempt in the final two minutes, Pitt drove down the field to set Blewitt up for his game-winning field goal attempt:
Chris Blewitt's 48-yard FG gives #Pitt a 43-42 upset win over No. 2 Clemson! #PITTvsCLEM pic.twitter.com/PPuUkjBJ2m
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) November 13, 2016
Pitt used a huge game from quarterback Nathan Peterson to keep pace with Clemson offensively. He threw for 308 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, while Conner added 132 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
Deshaun Watson had another great performance for Clemson, going 52/70 passing for an ACC-record 580 yards and three touchdowns. However, the difference in the game was Watson's three interceptions.
Pitt moves to 6-4 and becomes bowl eligible with the win. They will host Duke and Syracuse to close the season.
For Clemson, they fall to 9-1, and almost definitely fall out of the College Football Playoff picture. They finish ACC play at Wake Forest next weekend before hosting in-state rival South Carolina.
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