Clemson Football: 3 takeaways from upset loss vs. Syracuse in Week 7

Clemson football hit the road to take on Syracuse in Week 7 and the Tigers came away with a monster upset loss at the hands of the Orange.

It wasn’t pretty. Clemson football hit the road to take on 3-3 Syracuse in Week 7 and the Tigers were sent home with their tails between their legs. The Orange pulled off the biggest upset of the season, knocking off the defending champs, 27-24.

The Carrier Dome was rocking all night long, but that didn’t seem to phase the Tigers as much as the lack of a consistent offense and poor defense exploited by Eric Dungey and the Syracuse receivers. We learned a lot about both teams tonight, but mostly the Tigers.

Are their playoff hopes smashed to pieces? Absolutely not. They lost to Pitt at home last year and still won the national title.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Week 7 matchup in the ACC.

3. Running back duo of Feaster-Etienne is scary

Let’s face it, Travis Etienne and Tavien Feaster are a scary duo of running backs. These two didn’t have the biggest games, but they showed up when it mattered most.

In fact, Feaster broke off a 37-yard touchdown run with his team down 7-0 in the first half, capping off a quick response drive to Syracuse’s first score. He had just seven carries, but finished with 57 yards and a touchdown.

Later, Etienne pulled the Tigers even with about six minutes to go in the third. He burst through the offensive line for 52 yards and a crucial score. He finished the game with 68 yards and a touchdown on just five carries.

During both of these long runs, the backs looked untouchable and scary fast in the open field. If they can both play at high levels from this point on, it won’t matter who the quarterback is.