Syracuse Falls to Clemson for First Loss of the Season
In what was the most hyped game of the season to date, it was a dud from the Syracuse side of things as the Orange lost for the first time in 2023 with a 31-14 defeat at the hands of the Clemson Tigers.
Syracuse fumbled twice on its first three offensive possessions and threw a fourth quarter interception while trying to rally, all of which lead to Clemson touchdowns. Later in the first half, the Orange attempted a long 57-yard field goal that was short and led to a third Tigers first half touchdown to give Clemson a 21-7 advantage entering halftime.
There was brief hope early in the fourth quarter after Syracuse forced a fumble, recovered it, and turned it into a Garrett Shrader touchdown pass to LeQuint Allen to trim the Clemson lead to 10. On the next Syracuse possession, Shrader threw an interception on a pass attempt over the middle. Clemson would score on its next play to seal the deal.
It was a game of missed opportunities and mistakes for the Orange. On top of the turnovers and questionable decision to kick the long field goal, Syracuse dropped multiple passes offensively and interceptions defensively. It also committed nine penalties for 92 yards on the afternoon.
The Orange offense struggled to find any rhythm throughout the game as Clemson's defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage. Syracuse barely mustered 280 yards of total offense and averaged less than three yards per rush. Shrader was under pressure all day and was sacked five times.
The defense was largely solid, despite the dropped interceptions. Twenty-eight of Clemson's 31 points came off of turnovers or the great field position from the missed field goal. The Tigers only drove the length of the field once and only got three points off of it. Third down was where the defense really struggled, allowing Clemson to convert on seven of 15 third downs. Several of which were third and long. The secondary also had issues covering the Clemson receivers down field, as the Tigers converted on multiple long passes.
Next up for Syracuse is its first road ACC game, at North Carolina on Saturday, October 7th. That game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
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