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As 48-point underdogs, nobody expected an injury-riddled Syracuse team coming off an embarrassing loss to compete with Clemson in Memorial Stadium. 

But the Orange played their A game for the first 40 minutes, showing a vastly improved run defense and turning turnovers into points. In the third quarter, SU trailed 27-21 to the No. 1 Tigers.

They made the game interesting — until it wasn’t. After head coach Dino Babers opted to punt on 4th-and-1 near midfield while down six points and with about five minutes remaining in the third, the Tigers rattled off 20 straight points.

Here are four takeaways from Syracuse’s 47-21 loss to Clemson.

Advantage: Etienne

One of the most anticipated matchups heading into the game was Syracuse’s lackluster rushing defense versus Clemson superstar running back Travis Etienne. But Etienne, as well as Clemson’s wide receiver screen game, wore down Syracuse’s defense.

Early in the first quarter, Clemson struggled to open up holes for Etienne. McKinley Williams wrapped him up deep in Syracuse territory for a seven-yard loss, helping SU hold the Tigers to a field goal.

But on the next drive, Etienne took a shotgun handoff up the middle, shook a tackle at the line of scrimmage and spun off another arm tackle. He bursted through the secondary for a 25-yard touchdown.

After leaving the field and jogging to the locker room for medical attention, Etienne returned for the fourth quarter and helped Clemson lead a four-play, 67-yard drive to extend the Tigers’ lead to three scores.

Etienne ran for three touchdowns and 86 yards, inching toward Ted Brown’s all-time ACC record.

Culpepper cracks

Clemson rarely got to Rex Culpepper on Saturday, sacking him just twice. 

A turning point in the game came in the third quarter, when Culpepper held the ball for two beats too long and fumbled, which Andrew Booth Jr. took for a touchdown. That was the start of a 20-0 run from the Tigers that turned an inexplicably close game into a blowout.

None of Culpepper’s three interceptions were good, but his third stands out as especially inexcusable. Late in the fourth quarter, Culpepper threw a duck to the corner of the end zone. His intended receiver was never open, but he telegraphed the pass anyway.

Any optimism of Culpepper being the answer after stepping into the starting job due to Tommy DeVito’s injury likely evaporated with his performance in Death Valley. He finished with one touchdown and four turnovers.

G-Dub shines

Opposing teams throughout the season have tried to pick on true freshman cornerback Garrett Williams, nicknamed “G-Dub” by his Pop Warner coach, on the outside. And throughout the season, he’s bottled up receivers. Saturday was no different.

Despite Williams’ impressive track record, Clemson still threw at him often. On a 1st-and-10 in the second quarter, Williams found himself alone with Amari Rodgers, Clemson’s best wideout. Rodgers streaked down the seam and got a step on Williams. Rodgers hauled in Lawrence’s deep ball, but as he rolled over to secure the reception, Williams jarred it loose with his fist.

Lawrence threw behind Rodgers on a skinny post later in the half, and the errant pass tipped right into Williams’ hands for his first career interception. He zig-zagged across the field for a pick-six.

He also chipped in on rush defense. Lyn-J Dixon tried to bounce an inside handoff to the outside, but Williams sniffed it out and wrapped him up for a five-yard loss.

Anthony Queeley steps up in Taj Harris’ absence

Syracuse’s leading receiver didn’t make the trip to Clemson because of the internal discipline he faced from showing his middle finger to the camera late in last week’s loss to Liberty. Without him, it was unclear who Syracuse’s new No. 1 option would be. 

The bigger star for SU on the outside was Anthony Queeley. After Drew Tuazama gave the Orange great field position with a blocked punt on a 3rd-and-12, Queeley won inside leverage on DB Booth Jr., who slammed the ground in frustration after Queeley’s 14-yard conversion. The catch set up Sean Tucker’s 7-yard touchdown run.

Queeley’s best route was a deep curl, which he consistently won his matchup on and earned yards after the catch. The possession receiver finished with five catches for 58 yards on a team-high nine targets.

Published on October 24, 2020 at 3:51 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman