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CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson entered the game with a 37-game win streak in Death Valley, a 7-0 record, and first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic division. Sportsbooks said the Tigers would win by two touchdowns against Syracuse in front of a sold-out Memorial Stadium. DJ Uiagalelei, Dino Babers said, was improved from his embattled 2021 campaign and the beginning of the season.

That was what Syracuse entered into Memorial Stadium knowing. That’s what everyone in the sold out stadium knew as Clemson went up seven points, then fell down 21-7, then stormed back to score 20 unanswered points. 

In Syracuse’s (6-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) 27-21 loss to Clemson (8-0, 6-0 ACC), it forced four turnovers on Uiagalelei, leading to his benching in favor of true freshman Cade Klubnik. But the Orange also allowed 293 rushing yards, the most it’s conceded this season. The chance at perfection for the first time since 1987 ended when Garrett Shrader threw an ill-advised pass deep into tight coverage that R.J. Mickens intercepted. 

Here are five observations from Syracuse’s close loss and second-half collapse:

Have a day Ja’Had Carter

Ja’Had Carter committed to Syracuse prior to the 2020 season as one of the top 25 players from Virginia. He played in all 11 games and recorded 67 total tackles, the second-most for the Orange. Carter only has eight solo tackles and a half of a tackle for loss this season. He’s been serviceable, but got burned multiple times against Purdue and let up some big plays across the middle early against Clemson.

He’s cemented himself as the Orange’s boundary safety next to Barron and Alijah Clark, but his name has been called the least of the trio. That was the case until Syracuse blitzed Uiagalelei on a 3rd-and-8 at the end of the first quarter. He had Joseph Ngata tracking to the left sideline. Then the Carter quickly closed the gap and nabbed the interception inches from Ngata’s gloves.

Carter’s first interception in two years would have been enough to hold his own against the No. 60 offense in the country. But on Clemson’s next drive, he once again found himself in line to flip the script on the Tigers. This time, Clemson worked its way down to inside the 10-yard line, knocking on the door of a seven-point lead over the Orange. Uiagalelei began working into an option run. The ball joggled loose on the transfer, however, when Uiagalelei tried to bring it back from the running back.

Carter picked up the fumble and took off for the endzone that guarded Howard’s Rock. Syracuse, a two-touchdown underdog, was up 14-7.

Shrader using his legs…again 

The first two SU drives were polar opposites — the first relying largely on the legs of Shrader, the second on chunk pass plays. On the majority of option runs, Shrader kept the ball, with the Tigers’ offense overcorrecting for Sean Tucker.

Syracuse’s offensive line created large enough holes for Shrader to operate within. He stood as SU’s leading rusher for the majority of the game. Shrader flashed his arm like he’s done all year, but relied on his legs on the fourth drive as the first half wound down.

On a 2nd-and-4 play, Shrader’s pocket collapsed, and he broke to his right with plenty of room. After about 20 yards of untouched running, he side-stepped Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and scampered up the sideline for another six yards. Robert Anae went back to Shrader for a keeper, which the quarterback used to spin for five yards. On a third down Clemson blitz, Shrader rolled again to his right side, but this time had seven yards to the pylon and two men to beat. Shrader leaned away from both and found enough space to dive, extending the ball just far enough into the endzone, extending SU’s lead to 14 points.

It’s not just Will Shipley

The Orange have allowed the second-fewest rushing yards in the ACC through six games this season. Virginia’s 149 yards on the ground stood as the most allowed. But Will Shipley, behind a formidable offensive line, ripped off runs on pitch plays. But at the end of the first half, Clemson had already garnered 119 yards on the ground, split almost evenly between Shipley and backup Phil Mafah.

The tandem barreled through a depleted Syracuse defensive line, one that saw Kevon Darton go down early with an injury.

Mafah bullied his way through Syracuse’s defensive line once again on a 4th-and-goal from the half-yard line to close the gap to just five points. Then with 11 and a half minutes left, Klubnik handed the ball off to Shipley as a gap opened up on the right side. Shipley easily cut by Derek McDonald and had just Justin Barron between him and the end zone, and, for the first time since it was 7-0 early in the first quarter, Clemson led.

All Shipley needed to do was get the edge, which he did, and Barron hardly grazed him before Shipley strutted into the end zone.

Who needs offense when you have four turnovers?

Despite being the ACC’s No. 1 rated defense, Syracuse only forced five interceptions through six games. Syracuse forced two interceptions on Uiagalelei and picked up another fumble caused by the Tigers’ starter, forcing Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney to turn to Klubnik for the final possession of the third quarter.

First it was the interception from Carter, jumping a route that Uiagalelei waited too long to connect with. No one touched Uiagalelei as he fumbled the exchange between him and the running back on the option on the next drive. Shipley barely had a firm grasp on the football as he ping-ponged between defenders disrupting his hole before Hanna picked up the fumble.

The final straw for Swinney was an overthrown pass across the middle. All Uiagalelei needed to do was drop it into his receiver’s basket. But Jason Simmons was tracking backwards anyways, and Uiagalelei overthrew his man, allowing Simmons to grab the interception around Syracuse’s 30-yard line.

Costly penalties return

It’s not that Syracuse had as many penalties as it did against Louisville; it committed only a few more than Clemson did on Saturday. The timing, more than anything, sank Syracuse’s drives.

On the first drive of the third quarter at SU’s four yard line, Shrader did what he could to get the Orange out of the shadow of its own goal post. An option run from Shrader quieted Memorial Stadium and halted the calls from fans for a safety. But on the next play, as the pocket collapsed, Wes Hoeh tried to handle an edge rusher, but held him. The next play, a 2nd-and-15, featured another hold on Kalan Ellis, though that one was declined because Shrader was sacked. Then the stadium got as loud as it was in the opening SU drive, and a lineman moved to draw a false start, effectively ending the drive.

Syracuse’s next possession following a Clemson touchdown needed to stop the bleeding. Clemson was storming back from its largest deficit (14 points) of the season and had cut the SU lead to just five points. Shrader began the drive with a scrambling five-yard pass to Trebor Pena. Another screen pass to Pena set up the Orange at a third-and-six. Then, with pressure coming, Shrader found Gadsden around the 50-yard line. The pass was short, but Gadsden smoothly came back to the ball and cut across the field to try and gain extra yardage. But back at the 25-yard line, Shrader — now on the ground — locked eyes with a flag. It was holding, 3rd-and-14, where Shrader threw away the next pass.

Published on October 22, 2022 at 4:35 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt