Halftime Analysis: Mistake-prone Tigers losing to Orange at the half

The Syracuse defense is holding its own so far.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Sat Oct 22 13:43:42 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – It's definitely not the start that Clemson needed in a top-15 matchup with the ACC Atlantic Division on the line.

Fifth-ranked Clemson and No. 14 Syracuse kicked off at noon, and outside of Clemson's first drive, nothing went the Tigers' way in the first half. After two turnovers, Syracuse led 21-7, but Clemson was able to add a field goal with seven seconds remaining in the half to cut the Orange's lead to 21-10 at intermission.

PLAYERS OF THE HALF: Ruke Orhorhoro had a solid first half on Clemson's defensive line. The defensive tackle had one tackle and two pass breakups.

STAT OF THE HALF: Coming into the game, Syracuse's defense was only giving up 92 rushing yards per game. In the first half, Clemson ball carriers had a combined 30 carries for 119 yards.

WHAT'S WORKING FOR THE TIGERS: Phil Mafah and Clemson's running game had a lot of success in the first half. Offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter leaned on Clemson's offensive line and the Mafah and Will Shipley duo a lot in the first half. Mafah had ten carries for 60 yards. Will Shipley wasn't far behind with 13 carries for 57 yards.

WHAT'S NOT WORKING FOR THE TIGERS: All you need to know about the first half is turnovers. Clemson turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions. DJ Uiagalelei threw an interception, fumbled the ball on the five-yard line that was picked up, and returned 95 yards for a touchdown, and the offense turned it over on downs. The first two turnovers likely took points off the board and turned into a 14-7 Syracuse lead.

The defense was on the field for limited plays in the first half, but when they were on the field, outside of two possessions, they weren't finding much success against Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader and the Orange offense. The Syracuse offense had 172 total yards of offense in the first half.

WHAT THE TIGERS NEED TO DO WIN: Turnovers are killing the Tigers. Two bad turnovers by Uiagalelei have turned what should have been a 21-7 Clemson lead (or similar) into what we have. The Tigers have to keep running the ball, yes, but maybe less with Uiagalelei and more with Phil Mafah and Will Shipley. Defensively, the Tigers have been bludgeoned on the ground by Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader. Early on, defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin was running a lot of zone blitz and dropping defensive ends into coverage, but after Sean Tucker scored on an easy pitch-and-catch wheel route, that disappeared. Now the Tigers have to figure out to stop Shrader.