No. 14 Syracuse’s undefeated start comes to end after No. 5 Clemson comeback
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CLEMSON, S.C. — The fans responded as soon as they saw the move. Cade Klubnik, a five-star true freshman, jogged onto the field. DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson’s third-year starting quarterback who Syracuse had exclusively prepared for all week, stayed on the sidelines. The Orange were caught by surprise.
Syracuse led the Tigers 21-10. Up to that point, Clemson had moved downfield, but couldn’t finish its drives. Uiagalelei had thrown two interceptions and coughed up a fumble. In a critical top-15 matchup with postseason implications, head coach Dabo Swinney made a decision. It proved to be the correct one.
Klubnik responded by leading two scoring drives — the first a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took over six minutes and put the Tigers within a score, assisted by two personal foul penalties on Syracuse. On the second play of the next drive, Will Shipley took a handoff down the right side, eluded linebacker Derek McDonald and sped past Justin Barron for a Tigers lead.
Syracuse’s (6-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) offense couldn’t respond, getting shut out in the second half. Shrader (21 rushing attempts, 71 yards) was often swarmed in the pocket, forced to scramble and fight for minimal yardage. Tucker (just five carries for 54 yards) became a non-factor as Clemson (8-0, 6-0 ACC) forced Shrader to keep the ball on read option plays.
Shrader tried to orchestrate a game-winning drive like he had against Virginia and Purdue, but his pass to Oronde Gadsden II was picked off by R.J. Mickens with 15 seconds left. SU’s string of luck, which helped produce a historical 6-0 start, finally came to an end. And just like in 2018, a contending Syracuse team traveled to Death Valley, faced Clemson’s backup quarterback and blew its second-half lead.
For the third time in Dino Babers’ tenure, SU had a legitimate shot of taking down a top-five Clemson team on the road. For the third time, they were unsuccessful.
“It’s a horrible feeling,” linebacker Mikel Jones said. “It took a lot to get here and we just fell short again. It’s a bad feeling but we’re gonna keep working.”
Syracuse’s focus defensively throughout the week was on Uiagalelei. The quarterback has significantly improved this season, entering the game with 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. But he doubled that total against the Orange.
In the first quarter, Ja’Had Carter jumped a pass intended for Joseph Ngata. Midway through the third quarter, Uiagalelei overthrew his receiver, and Jason Simmons Jr. stretched out on top of Clemson’s midfield paw to secure the pick. Swinney pulled Uiagalelei but said postgame he’s still the Tigers’ starter moving forward.
Babers said it was a surprise to see Klubnik enter the game on the next drive. Syracuse wasn’t prepared “at all” for the freshman, Jones said, but noted it wasn’t a big adjustment because Klubnik is similar to Uiagalelei.
“(Uiagalelei’s) their guy,” defensive lineman Caleb Okechukwu said. “Obviously, he didn’t wake up thinking he was going to get taken out of the game.”
The Tigers relied extensively on Klubnik and Shipley’s legs and Syracuse’s mistakes to move the ball. A 15-yard penalty came after a late hit on a 3rd-and-25 play that would’ve resulted in a fourth down. The second came after Marlowe Wax tried to pull Klubnik’s helmet off later in the drive. Those 30 free yards helped Phil Mafah eventually punch it in on 4th-and-goal, cutting Clemson’s deficit to five. Shipley’s score two minutes later put the Tigers on top.
It was a similar situation to the 2018 meeting between the two schools, when Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence went down with an injury, forcing backup Chase Brice into the game. Brice led the Tigers, who trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter of that game, on two touchdown drives. Penalties hurt the Orange in that loss, too.
“Every game is different, every team is different. I thought that this was a good game that goes down in the series of Clemson and Syracuse battles,” Babers said postgame when asked about comparisons to that 2018 matchup.
“I guess we have to sacrifice a billy goat or something next time we play Syracuse,” Swinney said. “Crazy stuff happens when we play these dudes.”
Syracuse gained its lead by forcing a bevy of turnovers and finding holes in Clemson’s zone defense. On the Orange’s second drive of the game, Shrader dropped in ball after ball, finding Gadsden twice and Devaughn Cooper once to put the Orange 12 yards from the end zone. SU then exploited a mismatch on the outside with defensive end K.J. Henry matched up against Tucker on a wheel route. The running back ran right by Henry, and Shrader’s passing score put the Orange on the board.
Later in the half, Shrader handed Clemson its largest deficit of the season. On 3rd-and-goal from the seven, Shrader was surrounded by Tigers’ rushers. He somehow slipped up and out of the pocket, sprinting and diving for the pylon for an SU touchdown. And Syracuse, which entered the game as a 14-point underdog, led the fifth-ranked Tigers by two touchdowns late in the second quarter.
A Will Shipley fumble recovered by Marlowe Wax, along with Uiagalelei’s two interceptions and fumble that Carter returned 90 yards for a touchdown, put the Orange in position to win. Penalties, Klubnik and a stagnant offense got in the way.
Given one last chance with 1:33 on the clock, Shrader found Gadsden and Damien Alford to get to Clemson’s 30-yard line. With less than 20 seconds to play, Shrader saw the Tigers drop in coverage and went for the same play he said Syracuse had hit several times prior. Gadsden ran through against a prevent defense, and as he got to his spot at the 12-yard line, he saw the ball was underthrown. The receiver tried to get his foot in the ground and move back to it, but Mickens got to it first.
The turnover meant there would be no 7-0 start, no top-10 ranking, likely no chance at a conference title. It meant Syracuse had again blown a fourth-quarter lead at Memorial Stadium. There are still five games ahead of this SU team, but one thing was certain among players after the game: this loss stung.
“We should have won that game today,” Shrader said.
