Key Matchups: Syracuse at Clemson
Matchups to watch in the game between the Orange and the Tigers.
“Down in the Valley where the girls get...”
Sorry, that’s P-Valley. A great show; you should check it out on Amazon Prime if you’ve got some free time (and it’s based off of Memphis). Streaming habits aside, your SU boys will be going down to Death Valley at high noon on Saturday to try and get what could potentially be the most important win for SU football in the past ten years at least. Usually, I pick matchups where guys will be going directly against each other, but this week, there’s so much at stake, I adjusted the format just a bit, and wrote about two guys that will definitively determine the outcome of this game.
- QB Garrett Shrader vs. QB DJ Uiagalelei
- As excited as we are about this game right now, there’s a very plausible alternate universe where this is a matchup of two unranked teams. In said alternate universe, the respective QBs would have been the primary culprit for that. Both of these guys looked overwhelmed and overmatched at times in 2021, and going into the year, both were the biggest question marks for their teams. Both teams are equipped with great defenses and great running games (funny how similar they are, huh?), however, both Shrader and Uiagieli have taken massive strides to get this point. Shrader has been named to the mid-season Maxwell Award List and Uiagalelei going on the road against a resurgent Wake Forest program while out-dueling one of the most productive passers in ACC history. For Shrader, he will need to say calm under pressure and avoid lapses in judgment like he had last week vs. NC State. For Uiagalelei, SU hasn’t as physical a runner as DJ will be from the QB spot on Saturday, so he will need to use his legs and establish a rhythm early with his two main outside guys, Antonio Williams and Beaux Collins. Both of those guys are speedy underclassmen, so this SU defense will need to be physical with them to disrupt their offensive attack.
- OTs Matthew Bergeron & Dakota Davis vs. EDGE Myles Murphy & KJ Henry
- I know this is not the typical journalistic statement, but honestly, you could throw out every other matchup I have written out and focus on this one. Berg said it better than me on Tuesday; this defensive front is REALLY good and the pass protection will make or break this game for SU. I know that there is a lot of hype around Will Anderson, and rightfully so. But when I turn the tape on of Murphy, I see an elite first step, a developed pass rush-bag, and oily and loose hips to bend and change directions at a moment's notice. I see him as an elite-level, Myles Garrett/Jadeveon Clowney type of prospect, and after two sacks and 3.5 TFLs versus Florida State, he’s playing like the best player in CFB. KJ Henry, just another 5-star top 25 recruit on the other side, is a technical wizard with a deep and developed bag of pass rush moves, and the ability to use his hands and leverage to win from various rush angles. Murphy is the physical freak, but Henry is the more technically-sound rusher. Based on their alignments in the FSU game, Berg should be primarily getting Murphy and ‘Kato looks to be working against Henry. I could jazz it up and go in-depth on some nuanced O-Line techniques, but point blank period, however they do it, Berg and Davis HAVE to keep Shrader upright if they want to win.
- LB Trenton Simpson (from Charlotte) vs. football player Oronde Gadsden II
- The man said he was just a football player, so that’s exactly what I am going to call him. If I wanted to call him something else, I could call him and Simpson the two most athletic guys that will be on the field Saturday. OG is coming off a career day, with 8 catches, 141 yards, and two touchdowns, and has seemingly proven that his early season standouts were performances to be expected, not random one-offs. Simpson leads this team in tackles with 45, and is looking to step into the void that Isiah Simmons left as the last great Clemson linebacker. Similarly to Simmons, Simpson will roam the field -- you can catch him as a traditional linebacker, floating in the secondary as an overhang or safety, or even up on the line pursuing the passer. OG has faced some great linebackers already this season, mainly Drake Thomas and Nick Jackson, but Simpson is easily the most comfortable in space that OG has worked against this year. Look for these two to be battling for position in the middle of the field the whole game.
- TE Jake Bringstool vs. SS Justin Barron
- After a transition from offense to defense coming to SU, and battling out an intense and talented safety battle during fall camp, Barron seems to have solidified himself as the main safety opposite of Cinco, and for a good reason. The former wide receiver has shown some great physicality (perhaps too much at times), and has learned this playbook along with Tony White scheme to perfection. Always understanding where to be and when to be there. Purdue tight end Payne Durham nearly beat SU within the seams with eight catches and 71 yards, and I was able to speak with Barron to observe some of the ways he could have (and would have) slowed Durham down. With this matchup, he will need to bring it all with him. Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool, the highest-ranked tight end in the 2021 recruiting cycle and proud Volunteer (shoutout Nashville, baby!), has proven to be a guy that Uiagalelei will target in the red zone. Somebody capable of making highlight-reel catches. Justin will have to be disciplined and tough in coverage, with Briningstool possessing a massive 6’6, 240 frame, and he’s beginning to understand his body and how he can out-muscle and box out opponents. For Barron, a bigger DB himself at 6’4, he’ll have to limit the impact that Briningstool has in the seams and in the red zone, and take away that security blanket factor away from Uiagalelei and cause him to try and force some throws downfield.
SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE
SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT
JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF
