Dabo Swinney provides injury update on Will Shipley

Clemson would love to have true freshman phenom running back Will Shipley available when they head to Pittsburgh this weekend, but the Tigers are not ready to divulge if he will see the field yet.

When asked about Shipley’s status for Saturday’s game, head coach Dabo Swinney kept it short and sweet. 

“He’ll be a game time decision,” Swinney said. “He looks good. He looks better than I anticipated at this point.”

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound freshman has not played since Sept. 25 against NC State when he suffered a knee injury. In his first four games he notched five touchdowns, and he joined former running back Travis Etinne and former quarterback Deshaun Watson as the only players in the Dabo Swinney tenure at Clemson to record two or more rushing touchdowns in multiple games as a freshman.

He remains the team’s second-leading rusher despite missing one-third of Clemson’s games this year.

In Shipley’s absence, sophomore Kobe Pace has taken over the role of RB1. Of a similar stature as Shipley at 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, Pace has 32 carries for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the last two weeks.

Shipley’s status is not the only undesirable news for the Tigers ahead of Saturday. Clemson will be without their top receiver Joseph Ngata, who is unavailable due to COVID-19 protocol. Ngata has 18 receptions for 352 yards and a touchdown this season.

Expect strong defensive showing from both teams on Saturday

Pittsburgh boasts the second-best rush defense in the ACC, allowing just 100.2 yards per game on the ground through six games. Since the Sept. 18 loss to Western Michigan, head coach Pat Narduzzi’s team has allowed just one rushing touchdown. 

They typically pride themselves on their front seven’s ability to create chaos in the backfield, and this season is no exception. Pittsburgh has 21 sacks on the season, which is tied for eighth in the nation.

Clemson has the nation’s second-best scoring defense, allowing just 12.5 points per game.

The Tigers have outscored Pittsburgh 94-27 since the Panthers’ 43-42 upset win in 2016 in Death Valley, including a dominant 42-10 performance in the 2018 ACC Championship Game. Pittsburgh has been the favorite in each of their games this season, and that trend continues Saturday; they are currently favored by 3.5-points. 

If they can beat Clemson to move to 6-1 on the year, it will be their best start since 2015, Narduzzi’s first year at the helm. As it currently stands and as the ACC continues to cannibalize itself, Pittsburgh has no remaining ranked opponents on their schedule.