Join us » rk Adams described Solos outburst as disappointing

CLEMSON, S.C. -- James Conners smile said it all -- Pittsburgh was happy to once again shuffle up the national championship picture.Hey, sorry to do that. But we wanted this one bad, said Conner, who had two touchdowns and ran for 132 yards in the Panthers 43-42 stunner over No. 2 Clemson on Saturday.Conners 20-yard TD run with 5:17 left inched the Panthers into striking range and Chris Blewitt -- after a kiss on the cheek from coach Pat Narduzzi -- struck a perfect, 48-yard field goal with six seconds left for the winning points.Well remember this one forever, Conner said.So, too, will Clemson (9-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 3 AP) which saw its run at perfection halted after escaping so many other jams this season. A fourth-down stop a yard shy saved the Tigers 42-36 win over Louisville on Oct. 1. North Carolina States missed field goal at the end of regulation boosted Clemson to a 24-17 overtime win.This time, it was the Panthers (6-4, 3-3) who made the critical plays.When Clemson was driving for a touchdown already up 42-34, linebacker Saleem Brightwell picked off quarterback Deshaun Watson -- his third interception -- and returned it 70 yards to set up a 20-yard TD by Conner that drew Pitt within 42-40.When Clemson attempted to run out the clock, the Panthers defense (despite allowing 630 yards) stuffed Wayne Gallman a yard short on third and fourth downs to take over near midfield with 58 seconds left.We had a chance to put the game away and they stopped us, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. We had been making those kinds of plays this year.Nathan Peterman moved Pitt to the Clemson 30 and Blewitt steadily knocked through.It was Pitts highest-ranked win since defeating Backyard Brawl rival, No. 2 West Virginia, 13-9 in 2007 and spoiling the Mountaineers chances at playing for the national title.Our team had a lot of guts tonight, Narduzzi said.And a whole lot of playmakers to topple the defending ACC champs.Peterman had a career-best five TD passes and 308 yards. Conner rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one of Petermans scoring throws.Blewitt, who had a kick blocked at the end of the opening half, was steely eyed and ready. Narduzzi gave his senior a kiss on the cheek and sent him out for the winning kick.As soon as I saw the kick go up, I knew it was going in, Scott Orndoff said. It was jubilation.Clemson had its offense going. Watson threw for an ACC record 580 yards and three touchdowns. Gallman ran for three TDs and Mike Williams had 15 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown.In the end, it was Clemsons first loss to an unranked opponent in five seasons, a span of 46 games.Come Monday, well start over because its a long season, Watson said. Get ready for Wake Forest. Hopefully, we can clinch the ACC (Atlantic) and punch our ticket for the championship game next week.THE TAKEAWAYPittsburgh: The Panthers showed that Narduzzis program is taking hold. Peterman stayed calm in the face of Clemsons strong pass rush and Conner was able to avoid the Tigers middle duo of Carlos Watkins and Dexter Lawrence to keep Pitt moving.Clemson: Many non-Tiger fans will say this team had it coming after escaping with close wins at home against No. 5 Louisville (42-36 on Oct. 1) and North Carolina State (24-17 in overtime on Oct. 15) after the Wolfpack missed the potential game-winning kick to end regulation. Clemsons path is still clear -- win out and hope its one-loss season is better than most others.POLL IMPLICATIONSExpect a rankings fall for Clemson, certainly from the top five. And theres not that much time left to make up for a loss. After Wake Forest, the Tigers face revived rival South Carolina at Death Valley before potentially heading to Orlando, Florida, for the ACC championship game.RECORD DAYWatsons passing yards broke the 21-year-old mark of Wake Forests Rusty LaRue, who passed for 545 yards against North Carolina State on Nov. 18, 1995. Watson said the record doesnt console him after the loss. Id rather go 0-for-30 with no yards and get the W, he said.SAYING GOODBYEThis wasnt the farewell Clemsons offense wanted. Watson, Gallman, Williams and receiver Artavis Scott are all juniors who were honored with Clemsons seniors Saturday after Swinney said they would all be leaving the program for the NFL after this season. Watson acknowledged wild emotions. Still, Im going to keep a smile on my face, he said.UP NEXTPittsburgh closes the year with two games at home, starting with Duke next week.Clemson will try to earn the ACC Atlantic Division title with a win at Wake Forest next Saturday.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org Blake Taylor Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Ryan Pressly Jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. http://www.customastrosjersey.com/custom-roger-clemens-jersey-large-856y.html . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Doug Rader Jersey . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. Nivaldo Rodriguez Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. BRASILIA, Brazil -- Cowardly or not, Swedens defensive strategy against the United States got the job done.The Swedes stymied the powerful American attack and advanced to the womens soccer semifinals at the Olympics, leaving the U.S. team empty-handed and with their earliest exit from a major tournament.Thats the best team in the world. But for once, they didnt go the whole way through, Sweden coach Pia Sundhage said. They played more attacking football than we did. We defended very well. And the fact that it went to penalty kicks says something about our defending.Sundhage certainly knows the U.S. team. After all, she coached the Americans for five years and won gold medals at the Beijing and London Olympics. Current U.S. coach Jill Ellis was her assistant.The three-time defending champion United States had been the clear favorites in Brazil and would have been the first team to win an Olympic gold following a Womens World Cup title.After the loss, the attention fell on U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo for comments she made about Swedens tactics to go on the defensive. She said she?thought they were a bunch of cowards.We had that style of play when Pia was our coach. I dont think theyre going to make it far in the tournament. I think it was very cowardly, Solo said. But they won. Theyre moving on. And were going home.While the park the bus strategy is often debated in soccer, Ellis simply drew the inevitable conclusion that it was successful.The game is the game, so I think, tactically, thats the coachs prerogative, the coachs choice, Ellis said. They look at their personnel, and they determine a game plan based on that. And I think to take us to penalty kicks is probably a good strategy because then it becomes a crapshoot, right?Can I criticize or knock someone for their tactics? No, thatss their choice.ddddddddddddOn Saturday, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati told Sports Illustrated that Solos remarks were highly inappropriate and not in line with the expectations of U.S. Soccer or the ideals of the Olympic movement.At a news briefing in Rio de Janeiro, IOC spokesman Mark Adams described Solos outburst as disappointing. However, he added that people are free to say those things. We wouldnt stop their right to express themselves, within boundaries, obviously.Lost in all the postgame drama was the spectacular play of Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, who plays club soccer for Chelsea. The 33-year-old national team veteran turned away six shots on goal before prevailing in the shootout.Youve got to be pumped if you win against the world champions. Just playing against the U.S., on paper, you think, Oh my God, this is going to demand something special from me, Lindahl said. I think its something that happens automatically: You get really inspired and focused. It brings out the best of me, at least, when I play against the U.S.Sweden had only beaten the United States five times before Fridays quarterfinal meeting, which the team won 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.The Swedes, who won bronze in 2004, face a considerable challenge in their next match against host Brazil and the countrys star player, Marta. The Brazilians defeated Australia on penalties. In the group stage, Brazil beat Sweden 5-1. Marta scored twice in that game, but more defensive tactics could be coming from Sweden.You always have to take into account the opponents, Sundhage said. We played against the world champions, so thats one reason we chose to play the way we did. ' ' '