The Clemson Tigers narrowly won their fourth game of the 2021 season after defeating the Syracuse Orange 17-14. This win was Clemson’s first away win of the season. Although the score was close the Tigers’ grit and determination propelled them to this victory.
What went right under the dome, and what went wrong?
Paws up: Will Spiers’ 100% completion rate
With a minute and ten seconds left in the first half of the game, the Tigers attempted a risky special teams play. Punter Will Spiers faked a punt downfield, and proceeded to throw a 17-yard completion to tight end Davis Allen to get the first down.
Head coach Dabo Swinney was impressed with the performance, saying, “Will Spiers has been excellent all year long.”
Additionally, Allen made his presence on the field known after being ejected early in the first quarter of this month’s game against the Boston College Eagles for targeting. This game, Allen had eight catches for 49 yards, one of which being the impressive snag from Spiers.
Swinney is definitely glad to have him back on the field, pinning Allen as “one of the best players we have on this team.”
Paws down: Clemson’s fourth one-possession game in a row
Clemson may be able to boast a winning record this season, but not by the margins the Tigers claimed at this time last season.
Against Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Boston College, the final scores were six-point differences. Under the bright lights of the Carrier Dome, the margin of victory shrunk to only three points.
Relying so heavily on the experienced defense while the young offense matures has definitely been the largest growing pain of the team this season.
“We are not a very clean football team right now,” said Swinney.
“We are very inexperienced offensively and it shows.”
Paws up: DJ Uiagalelei
After the last home game against the Boston College Eagles, several media outlets reported quarterback DJ Uiagalelei returned to the field after midnight to continue practice after being dissatisfied with his performance.
Against the Orange, it became clear that his increased efforts have paid off: Swinney praised Uiagalelei for playing “his best game of the season tonight.”
Uiagalelei completed 21 of his 34 pass attempts, placing him at a 61.8% completion rate for the game and his second highest for the season. He threw for 181 yards with 5.3 average yards per attempt.
In a post-game interview, Uiagalelei admitted to being “nowhere close to where I’m capable of playing. I’m definitely getting better though.”
Paws down: relying on mistakes from opponents
Although some may think that a “win is a win,” some further inspection is necessary. Friday’s game marked the second game in a row in which the Tigers were forced to rely on crucial mistakes from the opposing team in the final minutes of the game.
In the Oct. 2, game against Boston College, K.J. Henry’s recovery of a mishandled snap at the 23-yard line with less than a minute left saved the Tigers from what could have been a devastating drive from the Eagles.
On Friday, Syracuse kicker Andre Szymt missed a 48-yard field goal attempt on the Orange’s final possession of the game – again, a mistake not caused by the Tigers but the Orange’s own fault.
Paws up honorable mention: Tyler Venables’ interception
With a minute left in the first quarter, safety Tyler Venables made an incredible interception inside Clemson’s 5-yard line which prevented an almost guaranteed Syracuse score. His father, defensive coordinator Brent Venables, said it was “very cool,” in a post-game conference.
“I feel proud of him.”
