Clemson's 31 First-Quarter Points Lead to Easy Win Over Pitt
No. 3 Clemson defense forced four interceptions and a fast start by Trevor Lawrence and company to roll past Pittsburgh 52-17 on Saturday's Senior Day at Memorial Stadium.
The Tiger star quarterback threw for 403 yards and tossed two touchdowns in his first game since Oct. 24 and likely his last in Death Valley as Clemson's offense racked up 581 yards. It was the Tigers' first game since Nov. 7 when they lost at No. 2 Notre Dame after last week's contest against Florida State was halted.
Clemson receiver Cornell Powell had 176 yards to go over 100 for the third consecutive game while fellow pass-catcher Amari Rodgers had a career-high 10 receptions to go along with his 93 yards and a diving touchdown grab. Running back Travis Etienne had 58 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Clemson (8-1), which held the Panthers (4-6) to 244 total yards, made life miserable for Pitt QB Kenny Pickett, who threw three first-half interceptions and was sacked six times. Mario Goodrich picked off two passes while freshman Malcolm Greene and Andrew Booth Jr. each had an interception.
The Tigers jumped out to a 31-0 lead in the first quarter and led 38-10 at the half. After a sloppy start to the third quarter but added two unanswered touchdowns in the second half.
Key play: Clemson broke out a little trickeration in the first quarter when Lawrence handed the ball off but go it right back on a flea-flicker. He launched the ball down the middle of the field to a wide-open Powell for a 43-yard touchdown that put the Tigers up 17-0.
Player of the game: Lawrence was stellar in his return, completing 70 percent of his passes and being involved in a touchdown for the 31st consecutive game. Lawrence won his 32nd game as Clemson's starting quarterback, tying him all-time with Rodney Williams, Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson.
Freshman impact: With sophomore receivers Frank Ladson Jr. and Joseph Ngata out with injuries, freshman E.J. Williams stepped up with 38 yards on three catches. Williams caught his first career touchdown on a 5-yard scoring strike from Lawrence in the first quarter.
Coach's decision: Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick did not play against Pitt, even though he was not listed on the unavailable list. There was no known injury to Kendrick going into Saturday, and Kendrick has not been in good graces with his coaches all season.
Stat of the game: Clemson scored 11 more points off turnovers (28) than Pitt scored in four quarters Saturday.
Up next: Clemson hits the road in the final game of the regular season with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday. The time is to be determined. The Hokies were off this week.
