Clemson Football Flashback Friday: Clemson vs. Syracuse, Sept. 29, 2018
The drama started long before Clemson stepped on to the field at Memorial Stadium to take on the Syracuse Orange on Sept. 29, 2018. Just a few days prior, quarterback Kelly Bryant announced his intention to transfer from Clemson after head coach Dabo Swinney named budding star Trevor Lawrence the starting quarterback.
That national storyline was hanging over the Tigers as they entered Death Valley for a game against Syracuse that few have forgotten.
Through the first four games of the 2018 season, with the exception of the tight win over Texas A&M, the Tigers had been largely unchallenged and unthreatened. That was not the case against Syracuse.
The Orange quickly amassed a six-point lead in the first quarter thanks in part to a fumble on the exchange between freshly minted starter Lawrence and Travis Etienne.
Clemson, true to form, was undeterred by the early deficit and responded with a quick scoring drive capped off by an Etienne one-yard plunge into the endzone to take a one-point lead, 7-6.
After a Clemson missed field goal, Syracuse wrestled the lead back, 13-6, and that's when the nervousness began to set in among the Clemson fans in attendance.
That nervousness only intensified on the very next drive when Lawrence took a shot to the head from Syracuse defensive back Evan Foster as he was scrambling out of the pocket... and didn't get up. The nightmare had become a reality.
No Kelly Bryant. Now no Trevor Lawrence. Who was going to step up for the Tigers? The answer: Chase Brice and Travis Etienne.
At first, it didn't look promising. Syracuse added yet another field goal to bring the lead to nine, 16-7. The final drive of the half was nothing more than a whimper as Brice threw an incomplete pass on his first attempt, and Etienne did nothing more than run out the clock.
The beginning of the 2nd half did little to inspire confidence as the 1st two offensive drives of the half for Clemson ended in a punt and a Brice interception on a ball that was thrown behind the intended receiver, T.J. Chase.
Despite the lack of points on the scoreboard, the Tigers' defense was able to keep Syracuse at 16 and Clemson in striking distance.
The tide really began to turn in favor of Clemson when cornerback A.J. Terrell intercepted a pass from Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey which set up a field goal that pulled the Tigers to within three, 16-13.
Despite the valiant effort, it looked like it would be for naught when Amari Rodgers muffed a punt and Dungey powered into the endzone for a second time to give the Orange a seemingly insurmountable 10-point lead, 23-13, in the fourth quarter.
With the Tigers looking to be down and out, they looked to Etienne to carry them, and carry them he did. On the ensuing drive, Etienne rushed for a 26-yard touchdown to bring the lead back down to three and bring hope back to Death Valley. After Syracuse and Clemson traded punts and chewed clock, the time came for Brice to permanently etch his name in Clemson athletics lore.
It was fourth-and-six at the Clemson 48 yard line with under three minutes to go in the game. This fourth down play was the textbook definition of now or never play. Clemson needed Brice to make a play, and he made the play.
With the Syracuse pass rush bearing down on him, Brice reared back and unleashed a dart right to receiver Tee Higgins along the right sideline for 20 yards and a first down. It was the game-changing, season-saving play that removed any doubt that Clemson would pull out the victory.
After another Etienne rushing touchdown-- which capped a career-high 203-yard, three-touchdown performance for the ages-- and an explosive, highlight-reel sack by current junior defensive end Xavier Thomas, Clemson's season was still on course for another College Football Playoff appearance and a third national championship.
