Score: Syracuse 16 Clemson 7

 

Important Moments:

 

  • Trevor Lawrence’s first pass is complete for nineteen yards, but he fumbled the run exchange on the next play.
  • Taj Harris beat Nolan Turner on a 51-yard deep bomb that put Syracuse in a positon to go ahead of Clemson by six points.
  • Trevor Lawrence was sacked and shaken up in the middle of the second quarter. It appears he is in the locker room.
  • This crowd is as infuriated as the Pittsburgh 2016 game crowd was. Between the extremely physical and often over the line play, the appearance of players celebrating when Lawrence was hurt, and Syracuse taking timeouts at the end of the half – this game is the most mentally interesting game Clemson has played in a while.

 

What Clemson Did Well:

 

  • Clemson’s defensive line has consistently applied pressure to Eric Dungey. Eric Dungey has played well in the face of Clemson’s pass rush – but the front four isn’t letting him play with a clean jersey.
  • Trevor Lawrence played well despite the struggles on offense – he made excellent throws and helped to keep drives alive.

 

Where Clemson Needs Improvement:

 

  • The Tigers aren’t playing with any sense of cohesion or consistency. They aren’t playing ‘complementary football’ – when one side of the ball plays well, the other side can’t take advantage of it. More often than not, both sides of the ball are struggling at the same time.
  • Clemson’s back seven has struggled to contain Syracuse’s passing attack. After Syracuse tried to run the ball early, their shift to the pass has caused Clemson problems.
  • Clemson’s special teams has been anemic today – Greg Huegel missed a 47-yard field goal and Amari Rodgers muffed a punt.

 

Things to Look For:

 

  • Will Clemson come back mentally after halftime? They still have thirty minutes to win the game and put the drama of this week behind them.
  • How does Chase Brice perform in Lawrence’ absence? This is why backup quarterbacks should always be prepared, and why it is often better to be patient when it comes to playing time as a quarterback.

Note: Trevor Lawrence is not expected to return to the game.