Clemson was down bad.
In fact, sitting in a 14-point hole late in the second quarter against Syracuse, the Tigers were staring at the largest deficit they’ve seen all season. And the primary reason for it was uncharacteristic for this Clemson team.
The Tigers entered Saturday’s game with the 18th-best turnover margin in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Clemson had turned the ball over just five times all season and once in its previous four games combined.
But the Tigers deviated from their usual knack for ball security against the Orange, reaching a degree Clemson hasn’t seen in years. The Tigers remained unbeaten Saturday but not before surviving four turnovers. It’s the most for Clemson since coughing it up three times in a win over Wake Forest last November, and the Tigers had not had a four-turnover game going back at least five seasons.
The Tigers may have had to go to overtime or worse against Syracuse if not for R.J. Mickens saving the day with his interception of Garrett Shrader on the Orange’s final possession on Clemson’s side of midfield. It was Clemson’s lone takeaway on a day in which it finished minus-3 in turnover margin, the first time the Tigers have finished in the red in that department in 12 games dating back to last season.
It’s only the third time during Dabo Swinney’s 15-year tenure as head coach that the Tigers have won when finishing minus-3 or worse.
“That’s something we’ve been doing very, very well,” offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said of Clemson’s ball protection. “And I hate that today we just struggled taking care of the ball.”
D.J. Uiagalelei was the primary culprit. Clemson’s quarterback had turned it over just three times through the first seven games as part of his renaissance campaign. But Saturday was a flashback of sorts to Uiagalelei’s 2021 struggles with accuracy and decision-making.
He matched his turnover total on the season in two and a half quarters, tossing a pair of interceptions and losing a fumble that was returned 90 yards midway through the second quarter to give Syracuse a 14-7 lead. For Swinney, it brought back unpleasant memories of West Virginia’s 99-yard house call following a goal-line fumble in the Tigers’ forgettable postseason showing in south Florida in 2012.
“The last time I saw that was in the Orange Bowl, and we didn’t recover,” Swinney said. “We never recovered, but we were a very immature program then, too.”
Uiagalelei’s fumble was preceded by an underthrown ball on a corner route that was intercepted on another drive deep in Orange territory. Running back Will Shipley also lost the ball with Clemson closing in on the red zone on its second possession of the second half, the lowlight of an otherwise career day for the sophomore running back.
All of the Tigers’ giveaways occurred at midfield or on Syracuse’s side of it, making the turnovers even more frustrating for the Tigers on a day when Clemson had 10 more first downs than Syracuse and racked up 450 yards of offense.
“I’m proud of our staff, especially our offensive staff, especially Streeter” Swinney said. “Because it’s kind of frustrating when you’re moving the ball, you’re going up and down the field, you have almost 500 yards, you rush for (close to) 300 yards, and you feel like you have control of the game. You have 27 first downs, and we had at least five trips into plus territory where we got no points.”
When Uiagalelei was picked off again later in the third quarter on a pass that sailed well over the head of tight end Jake Briningstool – a miscue that set Syracuse’s offense up near midfield already leading 21-10 – Clemson’s coaches had seen enough. The Tigers turned to true freshman Cade Klubnik, who ran it (six rushes) more than he threw it (four pass attempts) on a day when Clemson ran for a season-high 293 yards.
“Just one of them days,” Swinney said. “D.J.’s been awesome all year, and sometimes the ball doesn’t go in the basket. Sometimes Steph Curry goes 3-for-22. Sometimes it won’t go in. Sometimes you’ve got to give someone else an opportunity.”
Klubnik helped lead a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives, and, most importantly, Clemson played turnover-free ball the final 21:27 minutes of game time. The defense also kept the Tigers within reach by forcing six straight punts before Mickens’ game-sealing pick, holding the Orange to 1 of 7 on third down and 119 yards in the final two quarters.
“We just kept believing,” Streeter said. “Overcoming four turnovers, that’s hard to do. So you know you’ve got something special when you can do that.”
It all helped the Tigers escape with a win that keeps them in control of their own destiny in the ACC and beyond, even if it was one they felt like they were trying to give away at times.
“We can’t be sloppy with the ball and expect to win games like that very often,” Swinney said.
Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.
Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!
