Three things to know about the Pitt Panthers ahead of this week's ACC showdown

This week, the Clemson Tigers will close out ACC play by traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Pitt Panthers. But what they may encounter is anyone's guess.

That's because the Panthers have recently fallen out of the ACC title game race thanks to back-to-back losses to SMU and Virginia. Starting the season 7-0, Pitt was ranked as high as 18th nationally when the were dismantled by the Mustangs in Dallas on November 2nd.

However, that 48-25 loss seemed to take quite a bit out of the Panthers. That's because the next week, they turned around and laid an egg at home against Virginia, which entered that game only 4-4 on the season.

Now, the question that begs to be asked is whether or not the Panthers have mailed it in after having their ACC title hopes destroyed. That would be what Clemson fans are hoping for given that the Tigers need a win this weekend to put pressure on SMU and Miami to also keep winning to stay ahead of Clemson in the conference race.

So let's take a look at the stats to see what Pitt has been thus far in 2024. And we'll start by looking at their greatest strength.

Pitt has one of the better passing attacks in the nation

For much of Pitt's history, the Panthers have been known for running the ball and playing defense. But this year, they are taking to the air to move the football.

Averaging 277.1 yards per game through the air, the Panthers rank 22nd nationally in passing offense. That's good for fifth in the ACC.

That will make for an interesting matchup against a Clemson defense that has given up only 207.8 yards per game through the air. Of course, the Tigers haven't exactly played a ton of high-octane passing attacks this year.

Pitt QB Eli Holstein has been solid this year. Completing 61.9% of his passes, he's thrown for 2,177 yards and 17 TDs with only 6 interceptions.

However, he's cooled off lately. He hasn't had a 300-yard passing game over his last four outings. And during that span, he's averaged only 152.5 yards per game through the air. So hopefully, Clemson can keep his struggles going on Saturday.

Pitt gives up a ton of sacks

With Pitt averaging 37.2 passes per game, the Clemson pass rush will have plenty of chances to get after the QB. Of course, that's not been an area where the Tigers have been dominant this year.

Still, this might be a week where Clemson can get home with the pass rush. That's because the Panthers are allowing 2.44 sacks per game which is 95th nationally.

In each of the past two games, Pitt's only two losses on the season, the Panthers allowed three QB sacks. They also gave up five to West Virginia in a win earlier this season.

Since registering four sacks against Virginia, Clemson has had only one sack in the last two games. This week, though, the Tigers could find a way to get their pass rush cranked back up especially because the Panthers are struggling to protect their quarterback.

Pitt can be thrown on

Recently, the Clemson offense has begun to revolve around running back Phil Mafah. However, this week QB Cade Klubnik and the Tiger passing game might take center stage again.

In the last two games, Klubnik has thrown for 228 and 211 yards respectively while completing only 54.4% of his passes. He should be able to get right against Pitt, though.

The Panthers rank 113th nationally in passing yards allowed at 251.7. That ranks 14th in the ACC.

SMU and Syracuse both passed for over 300 yards against the Pitt defense. Meanwhile, Cincinnati threw for 298 on the Panthers.

Thus, it would seem like a great time for Klubnik to find his groove again after his head coach Dabo Swinney said that Klubnik's performance against Virginia Tech was "frustrating". He has three 300-yard passing games this year and this week he could have another big day through the air.