Clemson Football played well enough to keep the Orange bottled up most of the day as the Tigers get a 31-14 win over Syracuse.
Syracuse took the ball first on offense, but Justin Mascoll forced a turnover with a strong hit on Garrett Schrader, who fumbled the ball. Payton Page recovered it and the Tiger offense took over.
Clemson drove into the red zone where Cade Klubnik found Troy Stellato for his first touchdown pass of his career. Clemson took the lead 7-0.
Each team swapped punts before Syracuse took back over on offense. This time, Orange running back LaQuint Allen mis-handled a handoff and it was returned by Xavier Davis inside the Syracuse 5-yard line.
It took two Will Shipley runs to punch it in, and the Tigers took a 14-0 lead.
Syracuse responded with an eight-play touchdown drive, featuring two big passes to Dan Villari, including the touchdown pass.
Each team swapped punts again before Clemson’s offense got a drive moving into the red zone. The Tigers went for it on 4th down, but the Orange sacked Klubnik to force a turnover.
Syracuse was able to take the turn in momentum and begin a drive into Clemson territory. On 3rd and ten, Tyler Davis pressured Schrader into an incomplete pass. Syracuse lined up for a field goal but the kick fell short and the Tigers took over.
Klubnik moved the ball to midfield. On a first down, Beaux Collins put a nasty juke on his defender. Klubnik hit the wide open Collins for the touchdown and Clemson led 21-7 with about two and a half minutes left in the first half.
Syracuse wasn’t able to convert and punted. Clemson had limited time on the clock but they were able to get into field goal range. Weitz missed the kick and Clemson took the 21-7 lead into the half.
Clemson Football played a defensive battle with Syracuse in the third quarter
Following a Clemson field goal by Weitz on the first drive of the third quarter, it was primarily a defensive battle. Five drives between the two teams ended in a punt.
Clemson turned the ball over on their next drive with a fumble which was recovered by Syracuse. Schrader drove the team down and scored their second touchdown of the day. Clemson led 24-14.
Following a Clemson punt, it looked like the Orange was regaining momentum, but Jeremiah Trotter made a great interception which gave the Tigers a short field. Phil Mafah broke out with his biggest run of the day on the net play and put the Tigers up 31-14.
Syracuse went for it on their next possession but failed. Following a brief possession by Clemson, the Orange ran out of time.
Not a perfect game by the Tigers, but they were able to overcome the mistakes that have plagued them this season.