Dabo Swinney tried to fire up his Clemson Tigers after a close loss at Georgia Tech last week. They didn’t respond on Saturday, falling to 1-3 for the first time under Swinney after a 34-21 loss to Syracuse at Memorial Stadium.
It would’ve been shocking if Clemson hadn’t looked listless in the previous three games. Here are three huge reasons why the Tigers lost another game in what looks like a completely lost year:
No defense
Remember when legendary coach Nick Saban described what happened when his team when its performance met a tin roof several years ago? That also explains what happened to Clemson’s defense. They got run through, run around, and run over. Poor angles, tackling whiffs, and too many penalties are just the beginning.
In quite possibly one of the worst defensive performances of the Swinney era, Clemson gave up 433 total yards, including a whopping 303 yards and 18 first downs in the first half. The Tigers were penalized three times for 45 yards. A defensive front featuring Peter Woods and T.J. Parker was ineffective. There were big running holes and bad tackling led to three Syracuse plays of 20 yards or more.
No intensity
Syracuse came out and played like its hair was on fire. Fran Brown threw caution to the wind and challenged Clemson’s physicality right off the bat. After getting a touchdown on the first drive of the game, the Orange executed a successful onside kick. They scored 24 first-half points and cared deeply. Syracuse outcoached, outfoxed, and outmatched a Tiger team that wasn’t ready for what the Orange showed.
Clemson had no intensity to start the game. The Memorial Stadium crowd seemed stunned. The players didn’t give them much to get excited about, and after a lengthy lightning delay, it left the fans heading home early and incredibly baffled that this talented Tiger team lacks urgency and intensity.
No money plays
How did Clemson’s 500 yards of total offense only result in 21 points and, as a whole, a failure on the day? Because the offense was 3-of-12 on third downs and 1-of-4 fourth downs. When the Tigers needed a big play, they struggled to deliver.
When Cade Klubnik needed to be great, he couldn’t come through. Twice in the second half, he kept the snap instead of giving it to Adam Randall on key late downs. He threw an interception down 14 late in the fourth quarter. He missed open receivers on multiple “got to have it” downs. There just wasn’t enough clutch play, which has been a major issue all season.