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

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SYRACUSE, NY – OCTOBER 13: Kelly Bryant #2 of the Clemson Tigers passes the ball during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on October 13, 2017 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

2. Kelly Bryant is nowhere near healthy

It was obvious from the first snap, Kelly Bryant is not healthy nor is he anywhere near it. It was a bit of a mistake for Dabo Swinney to run him out there on Friday night, but he must have been given the green light by the trainers.

However, even in the first quarter on a scramble play, Bryant walked toward the sideline and shied away from contact. That’s not like him. He was very timid on his runs and didn’t want to take the hits, although no quarterback does, but he looked almost nervous in the open field.

Later in the second quarter, he was limping on a scramble, which made it obvious that his ankle was in serious jeopardy. It didn’t matter that he was looking accurate through the air. He was unable to avoid pressure in the pocket and conceded a sack and a couple short gains.

Right before halftime, Bryant was sacked and slammed to the ground by a Syracuse defender and suffered a scary injury which looked like a bad concussion. He may need to take the game after the bye week off in order to rest up both his ankle and his head. Zerrick Cooper is more than capable of succeeding in this offense.

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