Although Clemson ended up winning the game 47 to 21, a lot of Tiger fans would say that this was a close one and are relieved to come away with the win.
There seems to be one every year, a game that Clemson allows to get a little too close for comfort. Last year it was the North Carolina game, and this year it will be today’s game against Syracuse. Today’s game against Syracuse was supposed to be just about as easy of a win as the game against Georgia Tech was, as the Tigers went into the game with a more than 99% chance of winning the game, with most predicting that they win by around 40 points. Today’s game truly ended up being quite a rollercoaster for Tiger fans. Although the game got very close in the second half, Clemson ended up pulling away and defeating the Orange by 26 points.
Clemson started their first few possessions with great field positioning because of a 49 yard return by Lyn-J Dixon to start the game, a forced three and out by Clemson’s defense, an interception from Nolan Turner, and a forced turnover on downs by the Clemson defense.
Cornerback Garrett Williams was clearly the star of the show for Syracuse’s defense. Williams finished the game with eight total tackles, six of them being solo and one of them being a tackle for a loss, and broke up two passes. But his biggest play of the game came at the end of the first half when he got a pick six as a result of Trevor Lawrence throwing the ball a little behind Amari Rodgers. At various points of the game, Lawrence and his receivers did not seem to be on the same page. Lawrence really should have had two interceptions, as earlier in the game the ball landed right in a Syracuse defender’s hands, but luckily for Clemson he could not handle the ball and dropped it.
It seemed like there were more plays designed for Lawrence to run then there usually is, as we saw him run the ball three times on their last drive of the first half. Still his total yards rushing was only 17. Lawrence was 27 for 43 and threw for a total of 289 yards, including two touchdown passes. Rodgers proves once again that he is one of Lawrence’s favorite targets, as he hit him the most often during the game, eight times for 91 yards. Clemson’s coordinators were having a bit of fun with some of their play calls, and it worked out for their benefit. Will Spiers faked a punt and ran the ball a few yards for the first down in the first half, and another play design had Amari Rodgers throw the ball to Trevor Lawrence, which also resulted in a first down.
Clemson’s defense really came up big for the Tigers, especially when the game got close. The only time that the score is usually close in a Clemson football game is at the beginning of the game. So, when Clemson was only up by a touchdown and the score was 27-21 late in the third quarter, Tiger fans started to feel a little anxious and wondered what was going on. But Clemson’s defense came up big. A forced fumble by Bryan Bresee led to Andrew Booth Jr. scooping up the ball and running it in for a touchdown, kick starting the beginning of Clemson dominance once again. Clemson’s defense came right back on the field and forced a three and out. This led to a very fast and efficient drive by Clemson’s offense which finished with a nine yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. Then Clemson’s defense picked up their second interception of the game from Mike Jones Jr. who returned it 40 yards to the Syracuse three yard line, allowing Etienne to then punch the ball in for another touchdown. But the Tiger’s dominating defense was not done yet. Clemson’s Jaylyn Phillips picked the ball off and secured Clemson’s 47-21 lead.
The Tigers beat the Orange in almost every statistical category: first downs, total yards, total passing yards, turnovers caused by defense, and time possession. Syracuse did make some good plays, but the main reason why the game got as close as it did was Clemson just shooting themselves in the foot. Nonetheless, what matters most is getting the job done and coming away with a win. And so although it may not have been the prettiest win Clemson has had, they still won the game by a comfortable margin.
Next week on Saturday Oct. 31, the Tigers are hosting Boston College for another noon kickoff.
