Dabo Swinney and the Tigers traveled to Syracuse Saturday and took down an undefeated Orange team 31-14 in dominant fashion.
It was a great win for a Clemson team that needed it badly. It was their first ACC win of the season after dropping their first two in-conference matchups against Duke in Week 1 and Florida State in Week 2.
Following this big win, Clemson was named a Week 5 winner by USA TODAY Sports. Here is some of what writer Paul Myerberg had to say about the Tigers.
The defense got it done with five sacks and three forced fumbles while giving up just 2.9 yards per carry against an opponent that entered the weekend ranked eighth nationally in yards per game. Offensively, the Tigers were better but still not great: Cade Klubnik averaged 7.1 yards per throw while the running game had 35 carries for 126 yards, with 55 yards coming on two plays.
Clemson season hasn’t gone according to plan early, but the Tigers have proven that talent is riddled all over the roster. There is still a lot of season left for this team. While the big goal of a College Football Playoff is nearly certainly out the window, Clemson can make an excellent run down the stretch to make things interesting in the ACC.
This team still has a lot to play for.