Syracuse football hands Clemson stunning loss

Syracuse pulled off a first in program history on Saturday, going down to Clemson and defeating the Tigers, 34-21, for its first-ever win at Memorial Stadium.

The Orange had come in as 17.5 point underdogs, and had previously been 0-5 at Death Valley. But none of that mattered on Saturday, as SU set the tone early by marching 75 yards in seven plays on its opening drive.

Quarterback Steve Angeli found Justus Ross-Simmons for a 12-yard score to put the Orange quickly up 7-0. Head coach Fran Brown kept the pressure on by sneaking an on-side kick, which Syracuse recovered and converted to a field goal.

Syracuse takes command early

Syracuse took a 24-14 lead into half, which was extended for over an hour because of weather conditions in South Carolina. But out of halftime, Syracuse continued its momentum, causing a fumble with 2:18 left in the third quarter which was recovered by Rashad Perry at the Clemson 18 yard line.

On the ensuing drive, quarterback Rickie Collins found Ross-Simmons for an 18-yard score, giving Syracuse a 34-14 lead heading into the final quarter.

Clemson would inch closer with a 10-play, 81 yard drive that pulled the Tigers to within 34-21 with 9:04 to go, but Davien Kerr's interception with 5:17 to go at the Clemson 44 yard line put the game out of reach.

Syracuse loses Angeli in the third quarter

The win didn't come without its costs.

Angeli left the game after a non-contact injury to his lower leg after he scrambled out of the pocket. He crumbled over in pain and had to be helped off the field by the training staff, and was seen on the sideline in crutches and street clothes a short time later.

At that point, Angeli had completed 18 of 31 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

Up next for Syracuse is Duke

Syracuse will return home to face Duke on Sept. 27 at the JMA Wireless Dome. The matchup will be at 12 p.m. and will be aired on the ACC Network.

The Blue Devils headed into Saturday 1-2 with losses to Tulane and then-No. 11 Illinois, with their lone win of the season coming against Elon. Defensively, Duke entered the weekend ranked ninth nationally in TFLs per game (9.0) but have also given the ball away seven times (five fumbles, two INTs) this year.

As of the conclusion of the Syracuse game against Clemson, Duke was trailing NC State 20-7 in the second quarter.

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