Big Fourth Quarter Pushes Clemson Past Syracuse
By Zach Wagner
Clemson scored 21 unanswered second-half points to secure a 47-21 win over the Syracuse Orange on Saturday afternoon inside of Memorial Stadium. The win improves the Tigers record to 6-0, which marks the 16th time, and 8th under Head Coach Dabo Swinney, that Clemson has accomplished the feat.
Clemson also forced four turnovers on the afternoon, marking three straight games that the Tiger defense has forced over three plus turnovers. The last time the Tigers forced three plus turnovers in three or more games came in Dabo Swinney’s first year as head coach in 2008.
Travis Etienne had himself a nice afternoon on the ground, accounting for three touchdown rushes on just 16 touches on the rock. The three touchdown performance is the sixth time the senior has found the endzone three times in one game. The last time Etienne recorded a triple touchdown day dates back to last season.
Trevor Lawrence completed 27-of-43 passes for 289 yards and two touchdown passes. The junior also threw his second interception of the season, which was returned for a pick-six in the second quarter. The Georgia native caught one pass as well, for eight yards.
The Clemson defense showcased that it is one of the best defenses in the nation, picking off Syracuse’s quarterback Rex Culpepper three times (Nolan Turner, Mike Jones Jr., Jayln Phillips) and Bryan Bresee recorded a strip-sack which was scooped up and took to the house by Andrew Booth. Clemson used the four turnovers to score 17 points, which turned out to be the deciding factor against the Orange.
After an 83-yard touchdown pass for Syracuse in the third quarter, Clemson and the Orange were in a one-score game, 27-21. Clemson would score the next 21 points to secure the win and improve their record to 6-0, and 5-0 in ACC play.
Clemson will stay inside of Death Valley next week as rival Boston College comes into town. Last season, the Tigers took down the Eagles 59-7 in a resounding win at Memorial Stadium. Kick off is set for 12:00 pm on ABC.
