On ESPN’s College GameDay show Saturday morning, the GameDay crew reacted to Clemson’s 17-14 win over Syracuse on Friday night in the Carrier Dome.
A highlight was shown of Joseph Ngata’s acrobatic catch in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown reception from D.J. Uiagalelei in the second quarter.
“We found the only play in the first half besides the fake punt that we can show you, from Clemson’s offense,” David Pollack said.
After Ngata’s touchdown grab, the Tigers scored only one more touchdown the rest of the game. It came on a 2-yard run by Kobe Pace with nine seconds left in the first half, following a fake punt pass from Will Spiers to Davis Allen on fourth-and-5 that set the offense up at the Syracuse 24-yard line before Pace punched the ball in a number of plays later.
“Spiers, the punter, that was one of the best throws of the night,” Kirk Herbstreit said. “Clemson, it’s like they’re stuck in third gear. Between the offensive line and the issues in the vertical pass game, they’re struggling to move the ball down the field.”
Uiagalelei finished the game 21-of-34 passing for 181 yards and the touchdown pass to Ngata, while the Tigers ran for 116 yards on 37 carries, averaging 3.1 yards per attempt. Clemson went 5-of-15 on third downs and averaged 4.3 yards per play overall.
“I’m not sure Clemson’s offense is going to get fixed because the offensive line doesn’t look like it can dominate, and they just haven’t been accurate in the passing game,” Rece Davis said.
Added David Pollack: “The quarterback’s not playing great, either. I think you’ve got to put that on him, too.”
Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) returns to action at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday against Pittsburgh at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
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