2018 ACC Championship Game

The 2018 ACC Championship Game was played on December 1, 2018. It was the 14th annual ACC Championship Game, played to determine the 2018 champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The game was held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clemson emerged victorious and became the 2018 ACC champions, beating Pitt 42–10.

2018 Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game
Conference Championship
Clemson Tigers Pittsburgh Panthers
(12–0) (7–5)
42 10
Head coach: 
Dabo Swinney		 Head coach: 
Pat Narduzzi
APCoachesCFP
222
1234 Total
Clemson 1414014 42
Pittsburgh 3700 10
DateDecember 1, 2018
Season2018
StadiumBank of America Stadium[1]
LocationCharlotte, North Carolina
MVPTravis Etienne (Clemson)[2]
FavoriteClemson by 26.5
O/U = 53 points [3]
RefereeJeff Heaser
Attendance67,784
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC/ESPN Radio
AnnouncersABC:
Chris Fowler (Play-By-Play)
Kirk Herbstreit (Analyst)
Maria Taylor (Sidelines)[4]
2018 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Atlantic Division
No. 1 Clemson x$#^  8 –0     15 –0  
No. 15 Syracuse  6 –2     10 –3  
NC State  5 –3     9 –4  
Boston College  4 –4     7 –5  
Wake Forest  3 –5     7 –6  
Florida State  3 –5     5 –7  
Louisville  0 –8     2 –10  
Coastal Division
Pittsburgh x  6 –2     7 –7  
Georgia Tech  5 –3     7 –6  
Miami  4 –4     7 –6  
Virginia  4 –4     8 –5  
Virginia Tech  4 –4     6 –7  
Duke  3 –5     8 –5  
North Carolina  1 –7     2 –9  
Championship: Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 10
    1. – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

History

The 2018 Championship Game was the 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference's 66-year history. Last season, the ACC Championship Game featured the Clemson Tigers, champions of the Atlantic Division, and the Miami Hurricanes, champions of the Coastal Division. Clemson won the game 38–3 and went on to the 2017 College Football Playoff.

Teams

Clemson
Main article: 2018 Clemson Tigers football team

The Clemson Tigers finished the season with a 12–0 undefeated record. This is the Tigers' fourth straight appearance in the championship game. They have won the previous three championship games. During the season, they defeated Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Wake Forest, NC State, Florida State, Louisville, Boston College and Duke in conference play. Their season was also highlighted by 2 wins over SEC teams (Texas A&M and South Carolina). The Tigers come into the game ranked #2 in both the AP and Coaches poll.

Pittsburgh
Main article: 2018 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The Pittsburgh Panthers finished the season with a 7–5 overall record and a 6–2 record in ACC play. This is Pitt's first appearance in the championship game. During the regular season, they defeated Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest in conference play. They lost to North Carolina and Miami (FL) in conference play. The Panthers come into the game unranked in both the AP and Coaches poll.

Clemson vs. Pittsburgh series history

This matchup was the third all-time meeting between the Tigers and Panthers. They last played on November 12, 2016, when Pitt upset No. 2 Clemson at Memorial Stadium, kicking the winning field goal with 6 seconds remaining to defeat Clemson by a final score of 43–42. The win brought Clemson its first (and ultimately, only) loss of the season, as the Tigers went on to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP Clemson Pittsburgh
1 14:47 1 75 0:13 Clemson Travis Etienne 75-yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 7 0
1 09:29 1 3 0:05 Clemson Travis Etienne 3-yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 14 0
1 01:46 9 62 4:22 Pittsburgh 37-yard field goal by Alex Kessman 14 3
2 07:56 6 39 3:08 Pittsburgh Qadree Ollison 1-yard touchdown run, Alex Kessman kick good 14 10
2 04:57 7 75 2:59 Clemson Tee Higgins 5-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Lawrence, Greg Huegel kick good 21 10
2 00:25 1 10 0:04 Clemson Tee Higgins 10-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Lawrence, Greg Huegel kick good 28 10
4 14:27 5 69 1:32 Clemson Adam Choice 1-yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 35 10
4 03:17 5 65 2:45 Clemson Lyn-J Dixon 4-yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 42 10
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 42 10

Statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
No. 2 Tigers 14 14 0 14 42
Panthers 3 7 0 0 10
StatisticsCLEMPITT
First downs1311
Plays–yards59–41964–200
Rushes–yards35–30148–192
Passing yards1188
Passing: Comp–Att–Int12–24–04–16–1
Time of possession25:1634:44
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
ClemsonPassingTrevor Lawrence12–24, 118 yards, 2 TDs
RushingTravis Etienne12 carries, 156 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingTee Higgins3 receptions, 36 yards, 2 TDs
PittsburghPassingKenny Pickett4–16, 8 yards, 1 INT
RushingDarrin Hall14 carries, 86 yards
ReceivingRafael Araujo-Lopes2 receptions, 10 yards

References
  1. "ACC football championship back in Charlotte". WCNC.com. WCNC-TV. April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  2. Florio, Katie (December 1, 2018). "Etienne wins ACC Championship Game MVP". theclemsoninsider.com. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  3. "ACC Championship Game 2018 odds: Clemson heavy betting favorite for title game". sbnation.com. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  4. Crumpton, Tony (November 26, 2018). "TV announcers for Clemson-Pittsburgh". tigernet.com. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
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