Syracuse travels to Clemson for their ACC opener

Syracuse returns to the road with a trip south to face Clemson in their ACC opener. The Tigers are coming off a last-second loss at Georgia Tech, which dropped them to 1-2 on the season and out of the national polls. Clemson’s other loss came to LSU, who currently stands #3 in the nation, so their sub-.500 record reflects dealing with some stiff competition.

Clemson offense has been improving as the season goes on

That tough early slate has the Tigers averaging just 19.3 points per game, which stands 112th in FBS, and 5.5 yards per play, good for 86th in the country. Those numbers are sharply depressed by that first game against LSU, but have improved weekly since then. Clemson had modest success against Troy, but put together a strong effort last week, averaging just under five yards per carry and a hair under eight yards per pass attempt against Georgia Tech.

Adam Randall has been the primary running back, piling up 192 of his 208 yards on the ground in those last two games, while top receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. has seven receptions in each of those contests while totaling 244 yards and three touchdowns.

Syracuse's defense needs to pass this test

The Orange defense may be what the Tigers offense is looking for. SU has struggled on defense this season, giving up 5.24 yards per carry on the ground to FBS opponents, while standing 119th in passing yards allowed per game. They have also allowed opponents to convert almost 43 percent of their third downs through three games.

This matchup could be the cure to what has ailed Clemson thus far, as they are averaging just 58 plays per game as opposed to the 67.7 their defensive mates have faced. In comparison, the Orange have been the opposite this season, running over 79 plays per game on offense and being tasked with trying to slow their opponents on over 76 per game.

The Orange offense is starting to look familiar

That Syracuse offense is evolving into a different version of last year’s unit. Steve Angeli leads the nation in passing yards per game with eight touchdowns against a pair of picks. Seven different players have at least seven receptions good for a minimum of 80 yards.

But, can the Orange offense click against Clemson’s defense? They have been effective later in games when trailing and last week against FCS opponent Colgate. Clemson on the road is a steeper test much like the opener against Tennessee than what SU has seen from their last two opponents.

The prediction

While the Tigers have not matched their peak of recent years this season, as a team with playoff aspirations, they have their backs against the wall. Coming home with a big crowd and a lot of reasons to play well, we expect Clemson to do just that. The Orange will compete well and keep it reasonably close, but cannot pull off the upset in a 34-24 loss.

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