Clemson Football: 3 takeaways from Tigers’ comeback win over Syracuse
Clemson football headed into Week 5 with a tough test against an undefeated Syracuse football team. What did we learn from the Tigers’ win?
When it was announced that Trevor Lawrence was going to start against the Orange, many Clemson fans expected a victory that wouldn’t be close after last year’s major upset.
This year there seemed to be a feeling of deja vu for the Tiger faithful, as another injury to the starting quarterback gave Syracuse a chance at another monumental victory.
With the offense looking shaky for most of the first half, and the defense struggling to contain Eric Dungey, Clemson found itself in a heavyweight fight against an up and coming ACC team.
Here’s a look at the three biggest takeaways from Clemson’s narrow win over the Orange.
3. The offense still needs to work on the passing game
The Tigers offense struggled for much of the first quarter against Syracuse. Trevor Lawrence and the passing attack couldn’t do much against the Orange secondary, and that also affected the rushing attack in the early part of the game.
When Lawrence went down with a possible concussion it seemed to spell doomsday for Clemson. With Kelly Bryant opting to transfer earlier this week, it was up to third-string quarterback Chase Brice to lead the Tigers to a comeback victory.
Clemson simply couldn’t get the ball down the field accurately all game, as both quarterbacks combined for 176 yards through the air with an interception.
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Although the passing game didn’t do much, the Tigers were able to get the ground game going after being down 23-13 in the early 4th quarter. The Tigers used a strong rushing attack led by Travis Etienne to score in less than two minutes and get Clemson within a field goal.
Etienne had a monster game, running the ball 27 times for 203 yards and all three of Clemson’s touchdowns.
How the offense will look going forward will depend on how long Lawrence will be out, but it’s safe to say the running game can carry the team to a few more conference victories.