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Clemson Football: Brice, Etienne will the Tigers to a win vs. Syracuse

By Shawn Spencer

CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 29: Quarterback Chase Brice #7 prepares for the snap as offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt #75 and tight end Garrett Williams #44 of the Clemson Tigers line up against the Syracuse Orange during the football game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 29: Quarterback Chase Brice #7 prepares for the snap as offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt #75 and tight end Garrett Williams #44 of the Clemson Tigers line up against the Syracuse Orange during the football game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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The Clemson football team showed a ton of heart in a comeback victory over the Syracuse Orange Saturday afternoon in a loud, live Death Valley.

The Clemson football team showed a lot of heart in a comeback victory over the Syracuse Orange Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers, after being down 16-6 at halftime and then being down 23-13 in the second half, rallied back on the legs of Travis Etienne and the heart of second-string quarterback Chase Brice.

In the second quarter, freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence went down with a head injury after receiving a shoulder to the head on a scramble. Lawrence wouldn’t return to the game and is reportedly going through concussion protocol. He finished the first half 10-of-15 for 93 yards.

In came Chase Brice.

Brice was clearly rattled early in the third quarter, but he grew up as the game went on. All of that accumulated in a huge fourth down completion to Tee Higgins to keep the game alive with just 2:38 remaining in the game.

On the next play, Brice rushed for 17 yards down to the Syracuse 15-yard line. The 13 play, 94-yard drive was capped off by a Travis Etienne two-yard run into the end zone with just 0:41 seconds remaining.

The Heart of a Champion…

The adversity that this team faced, not just in the game Saturday, but with the drama all week was tough. All that was amplified when Trevor Lawrence went down with injury.

It would’ve been very easy for the team to give up, but instead the defense absolutely stepped up and played the best they have all season in the second half. They held the Orange to just seven points and that one touchdown was off of a muffed punt that had Syracuse start inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line.

Even then, though, the Tigers never gave up.

The offense marched right down the field, led by Travis Etienne, and put together a fourth quarter to be remembered.

I absolutely am impressed with how this team responded against a very solid Syracuse opponent. Travis Etienne, the player of the game, finished with 27 carries for 203 yards and three touchdowns.

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