Clemson Tigers vs Pittsburgh Panthers Game Preview and Prediction - 10/23/2021

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 23, 2021

Venue:  Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Clemson +3, Pittsburgh -3; Over/Under:  46.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Clemson +3, Pittsburgh -3; Over/Under:  46.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Clemson +3.5, Pittsburgh -3.5; Over/Under:  46.5 points

 

Clemson Tigers:  4-2 (3rd place, ACC Atlantic)

Pittsburgh Panthers:  5-1 (1st place, ACC Coastal)

 

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Clemson Tigers:  won on the road on Oct. 15 against the Syracuse Orange 17-14.

Pittsburgh Panthers:  won on the road on Oct. 16 against the Virginia Tech Hokies 28-7.

 

 

 

CLEM is coming into this FBS game with a 4-2 record overall and they are 1-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th conference matchup of the year and they are off to a good start with a 3-1 record in their conference games this season. Their season has actually been disastrous though with 2 losses overall already, they started the year as the 2nd ranked team in the nation and have dropped way down the ladder and are currently unranked. Their 1 loss in the conference came in OT against the NC State Wolfpack while their 3 wins came against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Boston College Eagles, and against Syracuse in their last game. All of those wins were by a very slim margin. DJ Uiagalelei did not play well in their last game as he completed 21/34 passes for 181 yards and 1 touchdown. Kobe Pryor led the team in rushing in that game with 76 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries but their run game was not that strong in that one. Justyn Ross led the team in receiving with 51 yards on 5 receptions while Davis Allen had 49 yards on 8 receptions in what was a very quiet day for the receiving corps. Baylon Spector led the defense with 9 solo tackles and 1 assisted one. Tyler Venables led the defense in sacks in that game with 1 and he also came away with the only interception in that game for them. They have scored 123 points in their first 6 games averaging 20.5 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 75 points against them allowing 12.5 PPG. Their offense is averaging 325.5 YPG while their defense is allowing 318.3 YPG.

 

 

Pittsburgh is coming into this college football game with a 5-1 record overall and they are 2-1 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. This will be the 3rd conference matchup on their schedule and they are in a great position right now with  a 2-0 record in their conference games this college football season. Their 2 wins came against GT and VT in their last game. Kenny Pickett had a solid game in their last one as he completed 22/37 passes for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. Israel Abanikanda led the team in rushing yards with 140 on 21 carries as he was their main guy on the ground in that game. Jared Wayne led the receivers with 94 yards and 1 touchdown on 6 receptions while Jordan Addison had 62 yards on 5 receptions. Cam Bright led the defense with 3 solo tackles, 2 assisted ones and 1 sack while SirVocea Dennis was right behind him with 3 solo tackles and 5 assisted ones. Bright along with Habakkuk Baldonado and Calijah Kancey all led the defense in sacks with 1 each while Erick Hallett came away with the only interception for his team in that game. They have scored 290 points in their first 6 games averaging 48.3 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 120 points against them allowing 20 PPG. Their offense is averaging 530.3 YPG while the Panthers defense is allowing 319.3 YPG.

 

Clemson has been slipping all season right out of the top 25 in the nation and they already have 1 conference loss on top of all of that. Clemson is actually coming into this as the 3.5 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Pittsburgh has been playing very well on offense this year scoring a lot of points and they have smashed their last 2 conference opponents that they faced. Their defense has even been playing well as they held VT to 7 points in their last game while Clemson has been unable to score a lot of points in their games this season. Clemson beat GT 14-8 a few weeks ago while Pittsburgh just smashed them 52-21 at the beginning of October. The best bet to place in this game is on Pittsburgh to cover the spread here as they are just the better team this year and have been playing like it.

 

Clemson Pittsburgh Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 23, 2021 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Pittsburgh 31 Clemson 20.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Clemson Tigers Pittsburgh Panthers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAA football predictions and previews.

 

 

Clemson Tigers: 184-170 ATS in all games. 42-37 ATS when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 61-37 ATS as an underdog. 30-20 ATS as a road underdog. 72-66 ATS in road games. 131-109 ATS against conference opponents.

Pittsburgh Panthers: 166-173 ATS in all games. 79-89 ATS as a favorite. 45-56 ATS as a home favorite. 83-88 ATS in home games. 

 

 

Clemson Tigers:  W. Parks (OL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury. H. Rayburn (OL) Out Sat - Undisclosed injury. F. Davis II (CB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury.

Pittsburgh Panthers:  G. Carrigan (TE) Ques Sat - Leg injury. A. Davis Jr. (RB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury. G. Thomson (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury.

 

 

Clemson Tigers: Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is one player to watch in this contest. He leads his team in passing yards and is the leader of this offense but he has not played well at all this year. He has led this offense and his team from number 2 in the ranks to now an unranked team. He will need to step his play here if they want to start being a powerhouse again so look for him to start improving his game.

 

Pittsburgh Panthers: Jordan Addison is one player to watch here. He has a team-high in receiving yards and in touchdowns scored this season. He is coming off of a game where he did not lead the team in receiving yards but he was still involved in the offense with over 50 receiving yards. Look for him to get more involved in this one as he is a big playmaker and they will need him to play at his best in this one.

 

 

"Until our offense grows up a little bit. We've got to find a way to win. Four one-possession games in a row, if that's who we are, that's who we are. We're just going to keep grinding." - Head coach Dabo Swinney on his team’s poor performance this season.

 

 

"I think every game is a statement (game). We're not worried about the crowd or anything else. Just come out and execute and play Pitt football. That's what we came here to do — play Pitt football. We didn't care who was out there. We didn't care what the scoreboard looked like. Just play Pitt football." - Pat Narduzzi on how his team is approaching each game.

 

 

 

WR Ngata, Joseph 

WR Ladson Jr., Frank 

WR Ross, Justyn 

TE Allen, Davis  

QB Uiagalelei, D.J. 

RB Pace, Kobe 

 

WR Taysir Mack

WR Jacques-Louis, Shocky 

WR Addison, Jordan 

TE Krull, Lucas 

QB Pickett, Kenny 

RB Abanikanda, Israel 

 

Passing: D. Uiagalelei (974)

Rushing: K. Pace (294)

Receiving: J. Ngata (352)

Touchdowns: W. Shipley (5)

Sacks: X. Thomas (3.5)

Tackles: B. Spector (22)

 

Passing: K. Pickett (1934)

Rushing: I. Abanikanda (347)

Receiving: J. Addison (586)

Touchdowns: J. Addison (9)

Sacks: H. Baldonado (4.5)

Tackles: S. Dennis (16)

 

Coaches:

Clemson Tigers: Dabo Swinney (14th season)

Pittsburgh Panthers: Pat Narduzzi (7th season)

 

57 degrees F cloudy, 71% humidity, 0% chance of rain, up to 9 mph wind speeds W.