Clemson Football: 5 Battles to Watch vs. Syracuse

1. Let them pick their poison

Syracuse gave up nearly 300 yards in the passing game, sure, but the Orange gave up 354 yards and six touchdowns in the running game last week against Maryland.

The Terps ran all over Syracuse and basically were never stopped until the game was all but over.

The main battle that I’m interested to see is how Clemson football makes the Orange defense pick its own poison.

Does Syracuse stack the box and try to take the run away? Do they stick with their base formation with a nickel back and leave running lanes open?

In the end, all the Clemson offense has to do is make Syracuse pick its poison. If the Orange want to come and try to stop the running game, then the Tigers need to get the ball out on the edge and to its play-makers at wide receiver. If the Orange try to take away the pass, just let Travis Etienne and Lyn-J Dixon take control of the game and wear down that Syracuse defense with the running game.

We’re going to see the Clemson offense play a much more efficient game Saturday night and it will offer us a first glimpse into what the unit will become as the season progresses.