Cade Klubnick sprinted 50 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 1:16 remaining and No. 20 (CFP) Clemson fended off Pittsburgh 24-20 on Saturday.

The Tigers (8-2, 7-1 ACC) had done little on the ground all day before the junior quarterback tucked the ball and raced past a handful of stunned defenders to keep Clemson’s outside hopes of reaching the ACC championship game alive.

Klubnick finished with 288 yards and two touchdown passes through the air and added 41 yards on the ground, almost all the positive yardage coming on his zig-zag through the Pitt secondary just 20 seconds after the Panthers had taken the lead on a 47-yard field goal by Ben Sauls.

Antonio Williams caught 13 passes for 149 yards and two scores for the Tigers, who need No. 12 Miami to lose one of its final two games or No. 14 SMU to drop its last two contests to reach the ACC title game in Charlotte on Dec. 7.

Nate Yarnell, starting for injured Eli Holstein, threw for 350 yards, including a game-tying touchdown to Gavin Bartholomew with 7:05 to go. The last of Yarnell’s 55 pass attempts was picked off by Clemson’s Khalil Barnes at the goal line as time expired.

Desmond Reid had 176 yards for the Panthers (7-3, 3-3), who outgained Clemson 438-346 and dominated the second half until Klubnick took advantage of Pitt’s relentless pressure by stepping up in the pocket and finding plenty of room to run.

Indiana rewards Cignetti with 8-year contract: Curt Cignetti needed 10 games to make good on his promise to change the direction of Indiana football.

Now he’ll have eight more years to continue working his magic.

The Hoosiers’ 60-year-old coach was rewarded on Saturday for the first 10-0 mark in school history with an eight-year contract that will run through 2032 and pays him an annual average salary of $8 million plus a $1 million annual retention bonus.

“I love Bloomington and am grateful for how the IU community has embraced us,” Cignetti said in the athletic department’s statement announcing the new contract. “I look forward to leading this outstanding program and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football.”

Cignetti has done what many thought impossible — leading the Hoosiers, who are No. 5 in both the AP Top 25 and the College Football Playoff rankings, into the top five and putting them on the precipice of a playoff spot in his first season.

Howard helps Ohio State cruise by Northwestern: Will Howard passed for two touchdowns, Quinshon Judkins had two 1-yard TD runs and No. 2 Ohio State pounded Northwestern 31-7 on Saturday at Wrigley Field.

The Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) shook off a slow start on the way to their fourth consecutive win since a 32-31 loss at Oregon on Oct. 12. Next up is a pivotal matchup with No. 5 Indiana next weekend.

Howard was 15 for 24 for 247 yards. Both of his touchdown passes went to Carnell Tate, who grew up in Chicago and finished with four catches for 52 yards.

Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith had four receptions for 100 yards, including a 68-yard play that set up Tate’s 8-yard TD early in the second half. The freshman nearly made a one-handed catch in the end zone on the Buckeyes’ first possession, but the ball touched the ground as he was bringing it in.

Ball St. fires coach Neu after 4 straight losing seasons: Ball State fired coach Mike Neu on Saturday following four straight losing seasons since winning his only Mid-American Conference title.

Athletic director Jeff Mitchell said offensive line coach Colin Johnson would replace Neu for the Cardinals final two games this season. Johnson, like Neu, is a Ball State alum.

Neu spent nine seasons in Muncie, Indiana, but only produced one winning season — going 7-1 (5-1) when he led the Cardinals to the 2020 MAC crown during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. The Cardinals finished the season ranked No. 23.

Williams Jr., Coleman lead Washington past UCLA for bowl eligibility: Demond Williams Jr. replaced starting quarterback Will Rogers, leading three second-half game-securing scoring drives, and Washington beat UCLA 31-19 on Friday night to clinch bowl eligibility.

Jonah Coleman added 95 rushing yards and two TDs as the Huskies won for the second time in three games and pushed their home win streak to 20 games.

“Full House, great crowd, great energy and to be 6-0 at home with a 20-game win streak is pretty amazing,” UW coach Jedd Fisch said. “And we’re looking forward to taking that win streak into next season.”

Williams led the Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) to a field goal and two touchdowns, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Decker DeGraaf with 5:44 left in the game to seal the victory over the Bruins (4-6, 3-5).