Clemson is in a vulnerable position right now. They are 0-2 in the conference, and one more loss could end any chance of them reaching the ACC Championship game.
This week, they’ll travel to upstate New York to take on the Syracuse Orangemen, who are undefeated and have given the Tigers some problems in the last few years.
The last time Syracuse defeated the Tigers was in 2017, 27-24. Clemson was coming off a National Championship and ranked no. 2. The upset victory was led by Cuse quarterback Eric Dungey, who threw for 278 and three touchdowns. Kelly Bryant suffered a concussion in the first half, which made life easier for the Syracuse defense.
Since then, the Tigers have won five straight games against the Orangemen, but not by a large margin. In three of the five games, Clemson only won by one possession.
The best performance was in 2019 when they won 41-9.
This year, Cuse is confident, and the Tigers are still trying to figure out their identity with the offensive play calling. Clemson fans shouldn’t worry about the defense, which has yet to have a bad game this season, but with an inconsistent offense, it puts them in challenging situations.
Clemson will have to worry about quarterback Garrett Shrader, who leads the Orangemen in passing and rushing yards. A close victory won’t help the Tigers much in the overall rankings, but it will keep them in the ACC title picture.