Dabo Swinney and the Tigers walked away from Syracuse with a solid 31-14 road win over the Orange.
It was a strong first-half performance from the Clemson defense and offense. While the defense made stops and caused turnovers, the offense took advantage and put points on the board.
At the end of the first half, the Tigers had a 21-7 lead and looked great as they dominated the half. Like many other games this season, Clemson failed to put together a complete performance and looked somewhat underwhelming in the second half.
Clemson’s offense looked stale in the second half, playing like a team looking to hold a lead rather than extend it. That was before junior running back Phil Mafah decided he wanted to shut the door on a possible Syracuse comeback.
Following a massive Jeremiah Trotter Jr. interception, Mafah made the Orange pay for the turnover. On the drive’s first play, Mafah took a carry 32 yards to the house to seal the win for the Tigers.
Starting quarterback Cade Klubnik had a strong performance, completing 23 of 37 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Mafah and Will Shipley combined for 104 yards and two scores on the ground.
Freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown looked like a star in this performance. He recorded eight receptions for 151 yards.
Clemson’s defense put together another strong showing, with Trotter Jr. totaling 7 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. He and Barrett Carter (7 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL) led the way for this stout defense.
Clemson’s next matchup will host Wake Forest on Homecoming next Saturday at Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:30p.m.