Clemson stayed in control of its own ACC destiny Saturday with its win over Syracuse at Memorial Stadium, though nothing about it was easy. Now the Tigers have a week to rest and reassess some things before their trip to Notre Dame on Nov. 5.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ 27-21 victory:

The good

Let’s start with the defense. Because without the way that group performed in the second half, we’re likely having a different conversation about Clemson today.

When Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader scrambled for a 7-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, the Tigers were staring their largest deficit of the season (21-7) in the face. Four turnovers by the offense, one of which went for a scoop and score, certainly contributed to the issues, but the two touchdown drives Clemson allowed in the first half came relatively easy for Syracuse.

That changed in the final two quarters.

Clemson got some help from Syracuse, which only got all-conference running back Sean Tucker five carries all game. But the Tigers ratcheted up the pressure and took away quarterback Garrett Shrader’s contributions on the ground. He ran for 73 yards in the first half. The second? Minus-2, which was primarily a result of four second-half sacks.

Clemson cut the Orange’s yards-per-play average nearly in half in the final two quarters, limiting the Orange to just 119 yards after halftime. Syracuse began the second half with six straight punts, and the Tigers came up with one final stop in the waning seconds when R.J. Mickens picked off Shrader to preserve the win. The group’s second-half shutout couldn’t have come at a better time considering the circumstances.

Speaking of running games, Clemson’s was the best it’s been all season. And it came against the ACC’s No. 1 defense coming into the day.

The Tigers ran at Syracuse’s 3-3-5 base defense repeatedly, wearing down the Orange as the game went on. The end result? 60 carries for a season-high 293 yards as Clemson improved to 74-1 in Dabo Swinney’s tenure when rushing for at least 200 yards. Will Shipley was the workhorse for the second straight week, finishing with career-highs in carries (27) and rushing yards (172).

One of those went 50 yards for the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Add in his 53 kickoff return yards and 17 receiving yards, and Shipley also set a new career-high with 242 all-purpose yards, surpassing the 238 he had just a week earlier against Florida State.

B.T. Potter also continued his strong season with a pair of clutch 44-yard field goals. The first came on Clemson’s final possession of the first half, which helped give the Tigers some much-needed momentum at the break after Syracuse had scored 21 straight points. The last one extended Clemson’s three-point lead late in the fourth quarter, forcing Syracuse to have to drive the length of the field at the end for a touchdown that never came.

Punter Aidan Swanson also built on a solid outing at Florida State with a strong one Saturday. He only punted twice, but both traveled farther than 50 yards and pinned Syracuse inside its own 20-yard line.

The bad

Not many could have anticipated the day ending with a quarterback change given the vast improvement D.J. Uiagalelei had shown through the first seven games, but that’s what happened following his worst outing of the season.

Things started well for Uiagalelei when he connected with tight end Davis Allen for 41 yards on Clemson’s first offensive play, but they unraveled in a hurry. Uiagalelei, who had thrown just two interceptions all season entering the day, threw two picks in just two and a half quarters, and his goal-line fumble in the second quarter was returned for a touchdown.

For the first time in a long time, Uiagalelei was consistently late with his throws and looked indecisive at times against a Syracuse defense that likes to disguise its coverages on the back end. He finished 13 of 21 for 138 yards before being benched for Cade Klubnik following his second interception midway through the third quarter.

Klubnik was just 2 of 4 passing for 19 yards. Given the way it was running the ball coupled with having a true freshman behind center in a pressure-packed spot, Clemson elected not to throw the ball a ton. But it was an underwhelming day for the passing game overall. Joseph Ngata’s 19-yard grab in the second quarter was the longest catch of the day among the wide receivers.

Still…

The ugly

Moving the ball wasn’t Clemson’s problem. The Tigers averaged more than 5 yards per play, racked up 27 first downs and accumulated 450 total yards of offense, all of which helped seven Clemson drives reach Syracuse territory.

But the turnovers were a killer.

All three of Uiagalelei’s giveaways came at midfield or on the plus side of it. Even on one of the two drives that Clemson started in Orange territory, Shipley fumbled as the Tigers were closing in on the red zone.

Not only was it an ugly display of ball security but an uncharacteristic one as well. Clemson, which had committed just five turnovers on the season before Saturday, hadn’t turned it over more than twice in a game since coughing up three possessions against Wake Forest last November. And you have to go back much further than that — 2016 against NC State — to find the last time Clemson turned it over four times.

Mickens’ interception was the only turnover Clemson forced, too, resulting in a minus-3 turnover differential on the day. It’s just the third time in Swinney’s 15 years as Clemson’s coach that the Tigers have won a game with a turnover margin of minus-3 or worse.

Clemson has to make sure that doesn’t become a trend. Because while the Tigers were fortunate to survive it Saturday, the odds of being able to do that again are slim to none.