Written by Erik Slaby
![Picture](/uploads/9/3/9/9/9399298/30567019051-5a7e07bebf-o_1.jpg?380)
This Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, the nationally 3rd ranked Clemson University Tigers (8-0) return home to Clemson Memorial Stadium, popularly known as Death Valley, to take on inter-conference opponent, Syracuse University (4-4), led by first year head coach Dino Babers.
Last week, Clemson defeated rival Florida State on the road, in a thrilling game, 37-34. This win now gives Clemson a 5-0 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It also continues to bolster their chances of getting into the College Football Playoff and competing for the National Championship. This week, the College Football Playoff Selection committee released their rankings of all of the teams and Clemson was ranked 2nd.
Against Florida State, the game came right down to the wire. It had been a physical, close battle for both teams throughout the game and was a bit sloppy as well. Both teams were called for numerous penalties but Florida State was called for a great deal more. Despite all of that, Florida State led Clemson 34-29 with 3:23 left in the game.
Clemson got the ball back and quarterback DeShaun Watson sliced through the Florida State defense in a five-play, 75 yard scoring drive that was highlighted by tight end Jordan Leggett, who caught three passes for 70 yards and the touchdown. Clemson also successfully converted a two-point conversion on a pass from Watson to wide receiver Mike Williams to bring the score to 37-34.
"It was just a great play call. We've seen it all game and called it at the right time," said Watson of the game-winning touchdown to Leggett. "It's a special win. It's hard to win here against these guys (Florida State)."
Florida State got the ball back with two minutes left and it looked like they might win the game. They advanced the ball as far as the Clemson 34 yard line. Unfortunately, they were hampered by penalties by their offensive line, who struggled against the athletic and physical front seven of Clemson. After two false start penalties and two incomplete passes, Florida State had the football on Clemson’s 44 yard line on a critical third down. With time running out, the Clemson defense made two big plays.
On Florida State’s last third down play, like most of the night, quarterback DeAndre Francois was under pressure the moment the football was snapped and he was sacked for a 12 yard loss by Clemson defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence. That moved the football back to the Florida State 44 yard line. On fourth down, with 32 yards to go and 18 seconds left in the game, Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware shot through the Florida State offensive line to sack Francois for an 11 yard loss. This ended any chance Florida State had to come back.
Clemson was led offensively by Watson, who completed 27 of 43 passes for 378 yards, two interceptions and two touchdowns. He also had 17 carries for 52 yards. Running back Wayne Gallman led the rushing attack as he finished with 20 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Leggett led the receiving group with five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Against Syracuse, Clemson will have to keep an eye out for linebacker Paris Bennett who leads the team in tackles with 73. He also is tied for the team lead in pass breakups with three. They will also have to watch out for defensive lineman Chris Slayton, who leads the team in sacks with three. Syracuse does not have the most potent or difficult defense to play against but they do have the ability to play well in spurts.
Syracuse is coming off a bye week which may be very beneficial for them as they’ve had an ample amount of time to prepare for Clemson. Previously before the bye week though they’ve won two straight against Virginia Tech and Boston College. Offensively, Syracuse has the ability to put a lot of points on the board. They struggle running the ball but they have a potent passing attack that is ranked 5th in the country.
Quarterback Eric Dungey leads the Syracuse offense. He has completed 224 of 346 passes for 2,631 yards, six interceptions and 15 touchdowns so far this season. He is also second on the team in rushing with 289 yards but has scored the most rushing touchdowns with six. When Dungey has time to throw, he can be as electric as any quarterback and even when doesn’t, he can still run around and make plays.
Defensively for Clemson, Syracuse will need to keep an eye out for star linebacker Ben Boulware who leads the team in tackles with 63. He also has two sacks and an interception. They will have to watch out for defensive back Jadar Johnson who leads the team in interceptions with four and is second in pass breakups with six. Defensive lineman Carlos Watkins will also be a player to watch as he leads the team in sacks with four and a half. As a team, Clemson has a total of 31 sacks this season.
In the series between these two teams, Clemson leads it all-time 3-1. Clemson has won the last three games in the series. If Syracuse wins this game, it will be a huge win for the program but they will have a very difficult time against a potent Clemson offensive attack and strong defense. Clemson needs to win this game though in order to keep on their current track of reaching the College Football Playoff. In the end, the athletic talent of Clemson combined with their strong offense and defense will likely be too much for Syracuse to overcome.
Last week, Clemson defeated rival Florida State on the road, in a thrilling game, 37-34. This win now gives Clemson a 5-0 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It also continues to bolster their chances of getting into the College Football Playoff and competing for the National Championship. This week, the College Football Playoff Selection committee released their rankings of all of the teams and Clemson was ranked 2nd.
Against Florida State, the game came right down to the wire. It had been a physical, close battle for both teams throughout the game and was a bit sloppy as well. Both teams were called for numerous penalties but Florida State was called for a great deal more. Despite all of that, Florida State led Clemson 34-29 with 3:23 left in the game.
Clemson got the ball back and quarterback DeShaun Watson sliced through the Florida State defense in a five-play, 75 yard scoring drive that was highlighted by tight end Jordan Leggett, who caught three passes for 70 yards and the touchdown. Clemson also successfully converted a two-point conversion on a pass from Watson to wide receiver Mike Williams to bring the score to 37-34.
"It was just a great play call. We've seen it all game and called it at the right time," said Watson of the game-winning touchdown to Leggett. "It's a special win. It's hard to win here against these guys (Florida State)."
Florida State got the ball back with two minutes left and it looked like they might win the game. They advanced the ball as far as the Clemson 34 yard line. Unfortunately, they were hampered by penalties by their offensive line, who struggled against the athletic and physical front seven of Clemson. After two false start penalties and two incomplete passes, Florida State had the football on Clemson’s 44 yard line on a critical third down. With time running out, the Clemson defense made two big plays.
On Florida State’s last third down play, like most of the night, quarterback DeAndre Francois was under pressure the moment the football was snapped and he was sacked for a 12 yard loss by Clemson defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence. That moved the football back to the Florida State 44 yard line. On fourth down, with 32 yards to go and 18 seconds left in the game, Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware shot through the Florida State offensive line to sack Francois for an 11 yard loss. This ended any chance Florida State had to come back.
Clemson was led offensively by Watson, who completed 27 of 43 passes for 378 yards, two interceptions and two touchdowns. He also had 17 carries for 52 yards. Running back Wayne Gallman led the rushing attack as he finished with 20 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Leggett led the receiving group with five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Against Syracuse, Clemson will have to keep an eye out for linebacker Paris Bennett who leads the team in tackles with 73. He also is tied for the team lead in pass breakups with three. They will also have to watch out for defensive lineman Chris Slayton, who leads the team in sacks with three. Syracuse does not have the most potent or difficult defense to play against but they do have the ability to play well in spurts.
Syracuse is coming off a bye week which may be very beneficial for them as they’ve had an ample amount of time to prepare for Clemson. Previously before the bye week though they’ve won two straight against Virginia Tech and Boston College. Offensively, Syracuse has the ability to put a lot of points on the board. They struggle running the ball but they have a potent passing attack that is ranked 5th in the country.
Quarterback Eric Dungey leads the Syracuse offense. He has completed 224 of 346 passes for 2,631 yards, six interceptions and 15 touchdowns so far this season. He is also second on the team in rushing with 289 yards but has scored the most rushing touchdowns with six. When Dungey has time to throw, he can be as electric as any quarterback and even when doesn’t, he can still run around and make plays.
Defensively for Clemson, Syracuse will need to keep an eye out for star linebacker Ben Boulware who leads the team in tackles with 63. He also has two sacks and an interception. They will have to watch out for defensive back Jadar Johnson who leads the team in interceptions with four and is second in pass breakups with six. Defensive lineman Carlos Watkins will also be a player to watch as he leads the team in sacks with four and a half. As a team, Clemson has a total of 31 sacks this season.
In the series between these two teams, Clemson leads it all-time 3-1. Clemson has won the last three games in the series. If Syracuse wins this game, it will be a huge win for the program but they will have a very difficult time against a potent Clemson offensive attack and strong defense. Clemson needs to win this game though in order to keep on their current track of reaching the College Football Playoff. In the end, the athletic talent of Clemson combined with their strong offense and defense will likely be too much for Syracuse to overcome.