Clemson Defeats Syracuse in a thriller inside of Death Valley Clemson 27 Syracuse 23. Clemson faced all the adversity you could possibly face during this contest with Syracuse. Already thin at Qb Depth the Tigers took the one loss they could not afford when in the 2nd Quarter newly named starting QB Trevor Lawrence took off running out of a collapsing pocket and was hit hard downfield as he stretched to gain extra yards. Death Valley grew silent as the freshman phenom lay motionless on the turf, as trainers rushed to his side.
Chase Brice, the redshirt freshman who had seen nothing more than mop- up duty over the course of the first 4 weeks of the season was forced into action with Clemson trailing the Orange ironically after losing their starting quarterback to a concussion for the 2nd straight year.
Brice came in midway through the 2nd Quarter and began his acclimation period to big-time college football with a lot of adversity to overcome from the moment he stepped on the field. Chase who went 7 for 13 on the day for 83 yards and one interception. Made the play of the day and maybe of the season up to this point, on a 4th and 6 when he found Tee Higgins on a corner route on the sideline for a huge first down that kept the Tigers alive and driving in the latter moments of this game.
You could see this team come together right before your eyes, as the adversity they faced forced them to lean on each other more so than at any point in this young season. The Tiger defense drew a definite line in the proverbial sand, as they continuously repelled the Orange on numerous drives in the second half. Christian Wilkins and company spent the entire day chasing quarterback Eric Dungy from side line to sideline.
Harassing the very savvy play caller from Syracuse all afternoon.
Dungy who during the first half seemed to play with almost magician like qualities, escaping Clemson defenders and getting the ball out of his hands just in time on numerous occasions. The veteran QB finished the day 26 out 41 for 250 yards and one interception. Dungy who as key in orchestrating the Orange victory over the Tigers last year, again showed why he is one of the most prolific players in the ACC.
But the player of the day had to be Travis Etienne the sophomore out of Jennings, LA finished the afternoon with 203 yards on 27 carries with 3 touchdowns. Etienne average of 7.5 yards per carry with a long of 26 yards. The Clemson running back, along with his teammates Tavien Feaster and Adam Choice took into their own hands literally as the Tigers run game cranked up to rack a total of 293 on the day and led the Clemson team in the 4th quarter as it wore down the Syracuse defense and imposed their will on the Orange.
Dabo Swinney remarked during his post-game press conference … “ Everything in life is how you respond”. And on this afternoon inside Memorial Stadium that is exactly what Coach Swinney’s team did, they responded when faced with adversity.
Clemson 27 . Syracuse 23
Dabo Swinney Post Game Press Conference:
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