Stats & Storylines: Clemson defense leads comeback over Syracuse

Bryan Bresee was in on a big play late against the Orange.

by Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Sun Oct 23 14:51:22 GMT-04:00 2022

Clemson had four turnovers, including a fumble that was returned 90 yards for a touchdown, and yet they still found a way to win. It wasn’t the prettiest offensive display, but Will Shipley, Phil Mafah, and the offensive line pushed the offense forward as the defense shut out Syracuse in the second half. Now, Clemson needs just one more ACC win to clinch the Atlantic Division.

There’s a lot to discuss from this one so let’s dive right in.

DJ Uiagalelei: 13/21 (61.9%), 138 yards (6.6 Y/A), 2 INT, 1 fumble lost

There’s really no sense in sugarcoating it. Uiagalelei played horribly. He didn’t see open receivers, he was late on throws, he fumbled, and he severely overthrew his receiver on the third-quarter interception that became his final play of the game. Even great players have a stinker (e.g., Trevor Lawrence vs LSU) and this one sure qualifies as that.

Cade Klubnik was summoned after DJ’s second interception and brought some stabilization. He was just 2-of-4 for 19 yards, but he also threw a well-placed deep ball that drew a key pass interference call in the Tigers’ favor.

It sounds like Uiagalelei will be starting against Notre Dame after the open date. The Tigers hope he can bounce back as they will need him on the road. Fortunately, his head seems to be in the right place:

Class act... Really hope he gets bounces back and this was a weird fluke bad game. https://t.co/eM4k9alunn
— Ryan Kantor (@ryan_kantor) October 23, 2022

Will Shipley: 27 carries, 172 yards (6.4 YPC), 2 TD; Phil Mafah: 18 carries, 94 yards (5.2 YPC), 1 TD

Clemson’s running backs and offensive line had a tough challenge. They had to run it when everyone knew they wanted to keep it on the ground. Syracuse’s defense had allowed just 3.2 YPC entering the game, but the Tigers' two lead backs combined for 266 yards. The offensive line, which hadn’t been great in run blocking, won matchups. Shipley showcased his combination of strength, vision, and speed. Mafah was shifty and powerful. Even in the modern world of high-flying football, sometimes you just need to win physical battles and the Tigers did just that.

Clemson defense: 1st half points allowed: 14, 2nd half points allowed: 0

Clemson’s defense gave up 14 points in the fourth quarter to Florida State and then another 14 to Syracuse in the first half. It was a bad stretch, but after halftime, they locked in. Syracuse had seven drives in the second half. The first six drives ended with punts. None of those drives exceeded 24 yards gained or 3:20 in time of possession. On their seventh and final drive with a chance to win, they marched downfield 45 yards before throwing an interception to seal their fate.

RJ Mickens only saw 20 snaps but earned an extremely high PFF grade of 89.4 and secured the game-winning interception. I’m consistently impressed with his play. KJ Henry stood out to me as the player of the game. He got beat by Sean Tucker on a wheel route that went for a touchdown, but he also had a key sack on the final drive. PFF gave him a strong 74.5 rating.

Ruke Orhorhoro had a solid day that included a big pass deflection. A 72.4 PFF grade reflects his disruption. Tyler Davis and Jalyn Phillips also had memorable days. Davis had two sacks and Phillips led the team with seven tackles.

Some have said Clemson benefitted from favorable officiating in the second half, but that is really just sour grapes. The call against Syracuse for hitting Klubnik out of bounds was a little soft, but it wasn’t wrong. The personal foul call three plays later was obvious as were all the holding calls (and several more could have been flagged). Clemson had 27 first downs compared to Syracuse’s 17 and had 159 more yards of total offense. If you take away the fumbles, this one could have been a blowout.

ACC Championship Race

With Virginia taking down Georgia Tech and Louisville knocking off Pittsburgh, the Tar Heels now have a two-game lead on everyone in the Coastal Division standings. If they lose to Pittsburgh and then drop another game (they still play Wake Forest), then Pittsburgh could win the division, but that would require Pittsburgh to be perfect. Pittsburgh has predictably struggled after losing their star QB, their Biletnikoff-winning WR, and their offensive coordinator, so a perfect finish from the Panthers seems unlikely – especially with Syracuse and Duke left on their schedule.

In the Atlantic Division, the Tigers can clinch on their own by a win over Louisville or Miami to close ACC action. They can also clinch if Syracuse and Wake Forest each drop another conference game. Since Syracuse plays a non-conference opponent (Notre Dame) next week, the Tigers’ likely first chance to clinch the division will come on November 12th against Louisville. With that being Military Appreciation Day, they have the coinciding purple out to honor Purple Heart recipients scheduled. With it also being an orange britches game, does that mean we see these?:

Clemson has never lost when wearing purple jerseys and orange pants, but this uniform combination (which looks fantastic in my humble opinion) hasn't been worn since 2010, and has never been worn with the current uniforms.

Do you want to see it make a comeback soon? pic.twitter.com/Ao08biVpp1
— Austin Pendergist (@apthirteen) June 4, 2022