Clemson vs Syracuse: What to Expect from the Orangeman
Syracuse In 2022:
Syracuse is coming off of a 7-6 (4-4) season and a loss to Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl 28-20. The Orange picked up wins against Louisville, Connecticut, Purdue, Virginia, Wagner, NC State, and Boston College. Syracuse started off the season 6-0 and was ranked as high as number 14 in the country. After the hot start, Syracuse finished up their season 1-6 with losses to Notre Dame, Pitt, Florida State, Wake Forest, and Clemson which started their losing skid.
Syracuse Orange Offense:
Syracuse was led on offense by quarterback Garrett Shrader who completed 64.7% of his passes and threw for 2,640 yards with 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Syracuse also had one of the best running backs in the country, Sean Tucker now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tucker had 206 carries for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns. The top two rushers for Syracuse were Tucker and Shrader. The next leading rusher for the Orange was a freshman running back Lequint Williams. Syracuse will also bring back their leading receiver in Oronde Gadsden II.
Syracuse Orange Defense:
The Orange are also bringing back 73% of their total defensive production from last season and bring back their leading tackler, Marlowe Wax, a linebacker from Baltimore, MD.
Clemson vs Syracuse All Time History:
Clemson leads the overall series against Syracuse 9-2 and is currently on a 5 game winning streak. Clemson last lost to Syracuse in 2017 on a wild Friday the 13th game at Syracuse. Syracuse’s largest margin of victory against Clemson is 41-0 in a 1996 bowl game, and the largest margin of victory for Clemson was 54-0 in a 2016 drubbing of the Orange.
Clemson vs Syracuse 2022 Matchup:
The 2022 matchup between Syracuse and Clemson was to the surprise of no one, a very close game that came down to the very end. Clemson was able to win the game by a score of 27-21. Cade Klubnik was called on near the end of the third quarter to hopefully provide a spark to a struggling offense. Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei went 13/21 for 138 yards and 2 interceptions. The Tigers turned the ball over to Cade Klubnik who for the majority of his time in the game was just asked to hand the ball off. Cade finished the game 2/4 for 19 yards through the air, adding to the team total of 157 yards through the air. Klubnik also connected with Joe Ngata for a 2 point conversion in the game.
What To Expect In 2023?:
Syracuse has a win total over-under set at 6.5 games for the 2023 season. But any Clemson fan knows that ANYTHING can happen when you play Syracuse, especially at the JMA Wireless dome (formerly the Carrier Dome). This is in prime position to be a “trap game.” You follow up one of the biggest games of the year at home, with a long road trip up to Syracuse, NY. Last season Syracuse finished at number 21 in total defense and 76th on offense. The Clemson offense should be able to keep the Orange offense at bay for this game, but the Syracuse defense has some playmakers. We will know what Cade Klubnik and this offense will be by this point in the season, and this should be a game where Clemson takes care of business. But the game isn’t played on paper, and we know the scares that Syracuse has given Clemson in recent history. If Clemson secures the win on the road it will move Clemson to 10-2 all time against the Orange and 6 consecutive wins in the series.
