The Clemson Tigers made good on their promise to put the past behind them and come out focused in their game at Syracuse. Clemson led the Orange wire to wire, turned away a brief Syracuse rally attempt in the fourth quarter, and finally beat their arch-nemesis from the Empire State in a game that did not go down to the final, frenetic moments. The Tigers and quarterback Cade Klubik were lethal in the passing game, the defense flew to the ball and smothered ‘Cuse quarterback Garrett Shrader, and two stars continued to emerge at wide receiver. Here are five things we learned during Clemson’s big win after rewatching Saturday’s contest.
Klubnik is, indeed, maturing as a quarterback
Cade Klubnik is almost there. Dabo Swinney has preached, often to the choir, that Klubnik was as good of a quarterback as there is in the country and that he was experiencing the growing pains expected of most young players. It looks like he might have been right. Cade has played like a savvy veteran each of the last two weeks, and that improvement and continued maturation continued Saturday. Klubnik is learning how to stay in the pocket in the face of a pass rush and continues dropping dime passes with defenders breathing down his neck. Then, when needed, he has used his legs to extend plays and pick up first downs. Cade finished the game 23/37 passing for 268 yards and two touchdowns. The Clemson offense is coming around and looking more and more like a force. That started with the blossoming of Cade Klubnik.
There really is something to this turnover thing
Swinney has harped on winning the turnover battle since giveaways doomed the Tigers at Duke. It has been prophetic. The Tigers are 0-2 in games where they lost the turnover battle, and 3-0 in contests in which they have won it. Clemson was plus two in turnover margin against Syracuse, and turned all three takeaways, two fumble recoveries, and a fourth-quarter interception by Jeremiah Trotter, into touchdowns. Those three scores, taken from Syracuse giveaways, accounted for all but 10 of Clemson’s points. It is safe to say, if the Tigers continue to turn their opponents over and hold onto the ball themselves, they will continue to win. Saturday, the defense proved they can do that.
Tyler Brown and Troy Stellato are burgeoning stars
Clemson has been looking for consistency at the wide receiver position for several seasons now. The unit was quite maligned, and for good reason, in 2021 and 2022. Here in 2023, Coach Swinney has witnessed the emergence of two young men who have provided the Tigers with a steady presence in the passing game; Tyler Brown and Troy Stellato. Stellato was a prized recruit who came to Clemson two years ago as a four-star recruit. Injuries have hampered his emergence until now. Stellato is healthy and his impact has been a pleasant surprise. He has a penchant for getting open and making catches in tight windows. On Saturday, he finished with four receptions for 37 yards and his first career touchdown. Meanwhile, true freshman Tyler Brown has emerged as the leader of the receiving core, especially in the absence of sophomore Antonio Williams who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. Brown is electric, can run right by would-be defenders, and makes circus catches in heavy coverage. He had a career day against Syracuse, reeling in nine catches for 153 yards.
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The offensive line continues to be problematic
The Tigers’ offensive line has not looked like a dominant unit through five games. On Saturday, they were at times pushed around by a much smaller Syracuse defensive front which got to Klubnik several times. What is even more concerning is the running game in short-yardage situations. Multiple times Clemson tried to run the ball needing just one or two yards for a first down and they were stuffed either at the line of scrimmage or for a loss. There simply is no push-up front allowing Will Shipley or Phil Mafah to work for tough yards. Dominant rushing has been a staple of Clemson football for a long time, and the Tigers need to figure out where the disconnect is on the offensive line. Klubnik and the receivers are playing lights-out football, but the Tigers cannot afford to be one-dimensional.
The dominance over Syracuse continues
Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader was not shy about proclaiming the Orange’s time to beat Clemson was now. As the saying goes, that is easier said than done. Despite many close, nail-biting contests between the two programs over the years, the fact remains that the Tigers have always had the upper hand against the Orange. Clemson improved to 10-2 all-time versus Syracuse and has won six straight head-to-head meetings. The Orange became the 19th program over which Clemson has earned double-digit victories, and the Tigers improved to 5-1 in true road games against Syracuse. The Orange entered Saturday’s game with a 4-0 record, making the Tigers’ win the 23rd in 34 (23-11) chances against undefeated teams, with a minimum of four games played, since 1970.
