Observations from Syracuse’s 31-14 loss to Clemson: Poor offense, costly errors
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In years past, Syracuse has been used to hearing Clemson’s fight song, “Tiger Rag.” And as the Tigers brought up their own band, the Orange got to hear the tune yet again. But this time, the game was never very close as SU lost 31-14.
The defense, which had previously been a highlight for the Orange, was dominated by the Tigers. Instead of Will Shipley (59 yards and one score) running over Syracuse, it was quarterback Cade Klubnik. The second-year Clemson quarterback finished with 228 yards, two touchdowns and 137.5 passer rating. While Garrett Shrader had two short-yardage touchdowns in the redzone, he completed less than half of his passes. SU’s receivers ended up being a non-factor.
Here are observations from Syracuse’s (4-1) 31-14 loss to Clemson (3-2):
Insisting on going deep
Heading into its matchup against the Tigers, Syracuse’s passing offense made some impressive strides. Damien Alford, who head coach Dino Babers called the No. 2 receiver during fall camp, played like a No. 1 receiving threat in the absence of Oronde Gadsen II. He had a career day against Army with nine catches for 135 yards. Fellow receiver Donovan Brown also expressed confidence in the unit’s depth.
“You already know the depth,” Brown said after the victory over Western Michigan.
While on the sideline, Shrader spent time with his receivers. But Jason Beck’s offense insisted on running a very similar deep ball route with pass catchers like Alford and Umari Hatcher. When they didn’t motion, Alford and Hatcher mostly ran go routes. Shrader would try to loft the ball to them down the sidelines, but his throws were often off target. On one of those throws in the second quarter, Hatcher caught Shrader’s deep ball but couldn’t keep his feet in bounds.
The receivers failed to make a massive dent on the game as the Orange continued to go deep. Shrader finished the day 9-of-20, with just 152 yards and one passing touchdown. The leading wide receiver for Syracuse was Alford, who had 100 yards less than last week against the Black Knights. It gave the quarterback on the other sidelines ample opportunity to tear through the SU’s defense.
Klubnik slices through the mob
Klubnik had a disastrous season-opening performance against Duke. Since then, he rebounded with a 300+ yard performance against Charleston Southern and kept the Tigers in it against No. 4 Florida State.
As Klubnik led the offense on the opening drive, he was faced with a 3rd-and-7 in Syracuse’s redzone. Klubnik looked left before rolling right while being blitzed. He found Troy Stellato, the receiver who started the season injured, in the back of the endzone. Clemson was up 7-0. Shipley’s one-yard score, set up thanks to Klubnik’s passing, made it 14-0. The Orange had allowed the second fewest redzone touchdowns in the Atlantic Coast Conference through four games. But against Clemson in the first quarter, they had already allowed two.
While Klubnik did not have a touchdown pass in the second half, he ended up completing passes that quieted the Dome. In the second quarter, Klubnik fired a dime to Beaux Collins on the right side after he faked an in route that made Jeremiah Wilson fall to the turf, resulting in a 47-yard score for Klubnik.
Five minutes into the fourth quarter, Klubnik faced a 3rd-and-12 after a Leon Lowery sack. He rolled to his right and found his favorite target Tyler Brown up the right sidelines. It was a play that worked time and time again.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
Shrader led the Orange through their first drive efficiently, using his legs to pick up yards and first downs. But on a 1st-and-10 from his own 36, Shrader had nothing and took off scrambling. He shook off five Tiger defenders before Justin Mascoll jarred the ball loose, giving Clemson the ball back. Klubnik then found Troy Stellato in the back of the endzone to put the Tigers ahead 7-0.
After the two teams both punted on their subsequent drives, the Orange had another chance to respond. But instead of a response, the offense recorded another turnover. With 6:35 left in the opening quarter, Shrader tried to toss the ball to LeQuint Allen Jr. so he could run to the right. But Allen Jr. bobbled the toss and Clemson’s Xavier Thomas scooped the ball, setting the Tigers up at 3-yard line. Two plays later, Shipley pounded into the endzone.
And since Brady Denaburg’s missed 57-yard field goal attempt counts as a turnover on downs, Klubnik’s deep 47-yard score with 2:23 left in the first half could be seen as a score off of a turnover as well.
After forcing a Clemson punt and only trailing by 10, Syracuse’s comeback effort came to a screeching halt in the fourth quarter as Shrader threw an interception. Clemson’s backup running back Phil Mafah immediately made Shrader pay with a 32-yard rushing touchdown.
Costly penalties
After the season-opening win over Colgate, Babers expressed his concern about Syracuse’s seven penalties. But against the Tigers, the Orange committed eight, some of which came in high-leverage situations.
Following Shrader’s fumble, Klubnik and the Tiger offense had a 3rd-and-6 with a roaring crowd against them. He went deep down the right sideline for Adam Randall, but the pass went incomplete. The closer official to cornerback Jeremiah Wilson didn’t call pass interference, but a second referee did. The call kept Clemson’s first drive alive for Stellato to score.
When Clemson moved down the field on its first drive of the second half, the Orange had forced another third down. On a 3rd-and-5, Klubnik looked for Collins and had another incomplete pass. But, Isaiah Johnson got called for interference, setting up Johnathan Weitz’s 38-yard field goal.
Even on drives that didn’t result in points for the Tigers, they took advantage of SU’s penalties. On a 3rd-and-13 in the second quarter, Klubnik had nobody open as Marlowe Wax hounded him from behind, causing him to throw it into the second or third row. But after the play as Klubnik moved back, Wax lightly chest bumped into Klubnik. He flopped to the ground, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. Alijah Clark and Babers were visibly frustrated.
In the fourth quarter, when Clemson was in clock-killing mode, the Orange’s special teamer Berry Buxton III ran into punter Aidan Swanson. On a third down, Johnson got called for pass interference again, causing backup center Josh Ilaoa to throw his towel to the ground in frustration on the sidelines. While that didn’t result in a first down for the Tigers, it wasted more time in the eventual win.
Dan Villari gets some spotlight
Syracuse players, coaches, fans and media alike have been looking for Villari to become a pivotal part of the offense. Villari, the former Michigan quarterback turned tight end, came to SU in 2022 but only saw limited time. Even early on in the season, Villari remained on the bench.
But with no Oronde Gadsden II, Isaiah Jones and Trebor Pena, the SU coaches put Villari in the spotlight. In the first quarter, the tight end delivered. During the Orange’s fourth drive, Shrader found Villari on a flat route. He picked up a first down on a 2nd-and-20 that re-energized the Dome.
On the very next play, Villari was the focal point of a trick play. He received a backwards pass from Shrader and looked for Brown, who found a soft coverage spot in the Clemson defense. Villari’s pass was wobbly and Brown dropped the ball. But Villari made up for it. On a 3rd-and-2 from the 28-yard line, Villari caught a pass on the sideline, slipped multiple defenders and scored to put SU on the board.
Shrader continued to target Villari as the Orange ran the same trick play with the tight end in the second quarter. Villari threw another wobbly ball and the pass was incomplete. But this time, the Orange drew pass interference against Sheridan Jones and picked up a first down. Villari ended up with the one touchdown and a team-best 65 yards.
When SU started to mount an ill-fated comeback, Villari was in the fold again. On 1st-and-goal, Villari lined up under center in a wildcat play, picking up two yards to be a yard short of the goal line. The Orange looked to go to him again, but a false start penalty brought him out of the game.
