Tag: Clemson vs. Syracuse

Syracuse head coach Dino Babers believes Clemson is still a ‘championship-caliber team’

Despite the Tigers’ tough start to the 2023 college football season, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers knows how talented Clemson is.

As many know, it has been an underwhelming start to the 2023 college football season for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers. 

Clemson (2-2, 0-2 ACC) has suffered two losses on the season, with both coming in the conference. In week 1, the Tigers fell 28-7 to Duke in a shocking upset, and in Week 4, the team failed to take advantage of a big opportunity, losing to Florida State 31-24 in overtime. 

Two losses sting, but the way they lost both games makes it worse. Clemson dominated the box score against both teams, but it wasn’t enough for the Tigers to win either game.

Week 5 awaits a matchup against an undefeated Syracuse team, with head and Orange head coach Dino Babers thinking very highly of the Tigers. During his press conference earlier this week, Babers stated how he believes Clemson is still a championship-caliber team. 

“I think they’re (Clemson) still a championship-caliber team,” said the Syracuse head coach. “They were six or twelve inches from winning their game this week (against FSU); beat them in every statistical category. They beat Duke in every statistical category… This is what they are. This is a championship, big-time football team coming in.” 

I’ve always been a fan of Babers, and reasons like this are why I consider him one of the better coaches in college football. Reading many people’s work from the Duke and Florida State games, it felt like many people didn’t watch the games, but rather reacted to the score and spewed. 

Babers can clearly identify how talented this team is and what they bring to the table when playing against them. When this Clemson team puts things together, they are as dangerous as they come.

Week 5 should be a good battle.

Game time announced for Clemson vs. Syracuse

Clemson vs. Syracuse and the other ACC Week 5 matchups game times have been released.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference and its television partners announced the following football game times and networks for Week 5 of the season on Sept. 29-30.

Friday, Sept. 29

  • Louisville at NC State, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN – as previously announced

Saturday, Sept. 30

  • Clemson at Syracuse, Noon ET on ABC
  • Virginia at Boston College, 2 p.m. ET on The CW Network
  • Bowling Green at Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network
  • Notre Dame at Duke, 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Pitt at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m. ET on ACC Network

ACC Notes

  • The Clemson and Syracuse matchup at noon on Sept. 30 on ABC will mark the fifth straight week this season that an ACC team has played in ABC’s Saturday noon game – Virginia (Sept. 2), NC State (Sept. 9), Florida State and Boston College (Sept. 16), Florida State and Clemson (Sept. 23).
  • In Week 1 of the 2023 season, the ACC captivated the national audience, averaging 5.1 million viewers – more than double all other conferences in the highest average per game viewership for the week.
    • Overall, the ACC was part of three of the top seven most-watched games for Week 1.
    • Through Week 2, the ACC had three home broadcasts with 4M+ viewers – no other conference had more than one.
  • During the first five weeks of the season, the ACC will have three games on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football”, as well as 19 appearances combined on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.
    • In total to date, 13 ACC contests are scheduled for national ABC broadcasts and the ACC Network will also feature 18 games.
    • Of the 13 full national ABC telecasts, 10 different league programs will be featured.

–Via the ACC.com

Uiagalelei details what went wrong versus Syracuse

In Clemson’s latest win over Syracuse back in Week 8, the Tigers barely squeaked by following a less-than-stellar performance from quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who was eventually benched after three quarters of struggle at the helm. While Uiagalelei …

In Clemson’s latest win over Syracuse back in Week 8, the Tigers barely squeaked by following a less-than-stellar performance from quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who was eventually benched after three quarters of struggle at the helm.

While Uiagalelei is not proud of the way he played against the Orange, the second-year starter recognizes where he fell short and is committed to making adjustments, whatever those may be.

“I feel like there was a couple of plays where I didn’t make good decisions,” Uiagalelei said. “Two or three plays that I wish I had them back, just decisions that I wish I didn’t make. It could have been a totally different outcome and wish I could have those back.”

After going back and watching film from Syracuse on Sunday, the California native found that his biggest issue against the Orange was his decision making. Poor decision making mixed with a few costly turnovers was a recipe for near disaster for Uiagalelei and the Tigers, who barely came away with the six-point victory just two weeks ago.

“The biggest thing was decision making,” the junior said. “I feel like there’s some decisions that I should have never made and put balls in jeopardy to be able to have them picked. I think that was the biggest thing.”

While the performance was disappointing for Uiagalelei, who had been pretty solid up to that point, the quarterback took time the following day to grieve what could have been in his Syracuse performance, see where he could make improvements and then put it in the rearview ahead of another big challenge in South Bend this weekend.

“Sunday, you go back and watch the game,” Uiagalelei said. “For me to go back and watch the game, you worry about the game then, and after that you just go on and move on for the next game and just about the present time. Worry about today and all that you can do today and just continue to put your best foot forward each and every day.”

Now with another big road matchup at Notre Dame on the horizon, Uiagalelei isn’t trying to make the game bigger than it is. Following a bout with some adversity in his last game appearance, Clemson’s QB1 just wants to go out there, execute and have fun against a talented Fighting Irish team — and win, too.

“I think the biggest thing is not making the game bigger than what it is,” Uiagalelei said. “It’s going to be a big environment and a night game with all the external factors, but I think at the end of the day, you just gotta go out there and play football. You have fun. I mean, you’re playing with your brothers, 10 other guys on the team, along with yourself makes it 11, and at the end of the day it’s 11-on-11. I’ve been playing football since I was five years old, playing tackle since I was probably eight or nine, so you just can’t make it bigger than it really is. Just got to go out there and execute, have some fun and go play some football.”

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!

Cade Klubnik headlines CBS Sports’ College Football Star Power Index

Klubnik headlines CBS Sports College Football Star Power Index.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers escaped an upset Saturday as No.5 Clemson took down former No.14 Syracuse 27-21 in Death Valley behind a comeback performance led by true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik. 

After starting the season red hot, starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei took a step back against the Orange, struggling to get anything going for the offense. With the group struggling through two-quarters of football, Swinney opted to change things up, putting Klubnik under center in the third quarter, looking for a spark. 

Though Klubnik didn’t stuff the stat sheet, the spark was there as the Tigers eclipsed a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win and remain undefeated. The Tigers’ playoff hopes remained alive while we got a good look at Clemson’s possible future at quarterback in Klubnik. 

While he wasn’t a world-beater in his time under center, Klubnik got the job done, earning national recognition along the way. The freshman quarterback is such a big story that he headlined David Cobb of CBS Sports’ College Football Star Power Index this week.

Here is what Cobb had to say about Klubnik: 

Cade Klubnik, Clemson quarterback

Is it possible for a 2-of-4 passing performance to register more emphatically than Klubnik’s did against Syracuse? The freshman entered in relief of DJ Uigalelei during the third quarter of Clemson’s 27-21 win and quarterbacked the Tigers back from a 21-10 deficit. He didn’t do much, totaling just 19 yards passing and 15 yards rushing, but the fact that Clemson’s struggling offense suddenly stopped turning the ball over and began scoring when he entered is fascinating. Still, coach Dabo Swinney insists there is no quarterback controversy and Uiagalelei remains the No. 1 option ahead of the former five-star prospect Klubnik.

Can the Tigers win a national title with Uiagalelei, though? He’s improved since last season, but his lackluster showing against Syracuse underscored the many lingering imperfections. Swinney turned to him in a moment of need and the team responded well, so Klubnik is officially in the picture now even if he’s not the starter. It’s going to be difficult for Swinney to put that toothpaste back in the tube. If Uiagalelei struggles on the road against a solid Notre Dame defense next week, Klubnik may find himself with far more than four pass attempts against the Fighting Irish. It was a limited sample size, sure, but with playmaking abilities like this, perhaps Klubnik should be getting regular playing time regardless of Uiagalaelei’s performance.

DJ Uiagalelei is still Clemson’s starting quarterback, as Swinney has been adamant that he is their guy. Even with Uiagalelei remaining the starter, Klubnik’s flashes of greatness are an excellent sign for Clemson fans.

Cade Klubnik has a bright future under center for the Tigers.

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Mickens on game-sealing interception

Clemson’s latest 27-21 win over Syracuse came down to the wire, with the deciding drive coming in just the final two minutes of play in Saturday’s matchup at Death Valley. With less than a minute to go and the Syracuse offense moving swiftly …

Clemson’s latest 27-21 win over Syracuse came down to the wire, with the deciding drive coming in just the final two minutes of play in Saturday’s matchup at Death Valley.

With less than a minute to go and the Syracuse offense moving swiftly downfield, the Tigers’ defense was in need of a big play in order to keep the Orange out of the end zone and secure the win.

R.J. Mickens delivered just that with a huge interception on first-and-10 at Clemson’s 30-yard line to seal the deal for the Tigers’ eighth win of the season over a previously undefeated Syracuse team.

“We were in a cover two and I was the hook player,” Mickens said. “I just knew that they were hitting us on the seams, so I knew to pack it in, and the quarterback [Garrett Shrader] scrambled out, so I played off his eyes and made a play.”

The moment his hands came around the football in those final few minutes is a moment Mickens will never forget and something the safety credits to finally being in the “right place at the right time.”

“I prayed about it, I dreamt about it, and I just knew I was going to get a pick (Saturday),” Mickens said. “All glory to God, I was just in the right place at the right time. Thanks to the coaches, made a great call and then the pass rush got there, and he made a bad decision.”

For Mickens, Saturday’s interception was a full-circle moment. Just four games prior at Wake Forest, he lined up for the same cover two play in the fourth quarter against a talented Demon Deacons offense where an interception was thrown in his vicinity, but fellow defender Nate Wiggins came up with the grab to end the game.

“It was actually the same coverage — you know, a cover two,” the Texas native said. “The quarterback tried to force it in there at the end, and Nate did a great job sinking and broke up the ball and I was right there on top.”

Moving forward, Mickens is hopeful to continue being a key component of the Tigers’ defense. The junior defender has already been a huge difference maker for defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin’s defensive scheme, and his rise in confidence both on and off the field is what Mickens credits to his success thus far through seven game appearances and three starts.

“For me personally, just growing in my confidence,” Mickens said. “Last season, I only started two games and I was kind of a package situation guy last season, so I wasn’t really too confident, but I knew I could do it. This year, just having to play a lot more than I played last year, and just growing and knowing that I can do it and making those plays just builds confidence in myself. I’m definitely a way more confident football player right now than I was last year.”

Shipley named Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week

In the Tigers latest win over Syracuse, Shipley led Clemson in rushing with a career-high 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Via Clemson Athletic Communications:

Clemson running back Will Shipley rushed for a career-high of 172 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers remained unbeaten with a 27-21 comeback win over previously unbeaten Syracuse. The performance earned him the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 22.

The 5-11, 205-pound sophomore from Weddington, N.C., busted a 50-yard touchdown run with 11:26 to play to give Clemson the lead for good, rallying from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers a 38th consecutive home win, an Atlantic Coast Conference record. Overall, Clemson is now riding a 14-game winning streak.

The 100-yard game was the seventh of Shipley’s career and the eighth time he’s scored multiple touchdowns. Saturday’s scores were the 20th and 21st of his career as Clemson rushed a season-high 60 times for a season-high 293 yards. To go with his 27 carries, Shipley added 53 on two kickoff return yards and 17 receiving yards on three catches to finish the day with 242 all-purpose yards, four more than his previous career high set the previous week at Florida State.

The Tigers are idle this week before traveling to Notre Dame for a Nov. 5 prime-time game on NBC at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Other candidates for the honor in Week 8 included:

– Roman Hembry, Maryland: The redshirt freshman rushed for a career-high 179 yards – his fourth-career 100-yard game – and scored three touchdowns as the Terps topped Northwestern, 31-24. One play after Northwestern scored to tie the game at 24, Hembry broke off a career-long 75-yard touchdown run with 3:22 left to play to put the Terps ahead for good.

– Dae Dae Hunter, Liberty: The sophomore ran 23 times for 213 yards and a touchdown as the Flames scored 38 unanswered points in blasting BYU, 41-14. Hunter reeled off an 80-yard touchdown run, the third-longest in program history. The 213 rushing yards are the most by a Liberty player since 2008, and Hunter’s 31 receiving yards in the game gave him 244 all-purpose yards on the day.

– Deneric Prince, Tulsa: The senior ran for a career-high 231 yards on 20 carries as Tulsa won at Temple last Friday, 27-16, despite an early 10-0 deficit. Prince had Tulsa’s first 200-yard game since 2017, which Included an 84-yard score, the fourth-longest run in school history. It was Prince’s fourth 100-yard game and first of the season. He also added his first touchdown reception, an 18-yarder in the first half.

The Doak Walker Award presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum has been awarded to the nation’s top running back since 1990. For the first time, the award is recognizing a national running back of the week this season. A select 20-person committee from the award’s full voting body of media and past winners chooses the weekly recipient. On July 20, a preseason candidates list was released and semifinalists for the award will be named on Nov. 22. A week later, the three finalists will be announced.

The 2022 Doak Walker Award winner will be unveiled live on The Home Depot College Football Awards, televised by ESPN on Dec. 8. The annual banquet, where the winner and the recipient of the 2022 PwC Doak Walker Legends Award will be honored, will take place in February on the SMU campus.

The Doak Walker Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 800 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.

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Streeter on Klubnik’s performance: ‘That’s what you hope for’

While there’s always a game plan in place, you never know what Saturday may bring come kickoff and Saturday was no different for Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. The true freshman came into the Tigers’ matchup against Syracuse knowing D.J. Uiagalelei would …

While there’s always a game plan in place, you never know what Saturday may bring come kickoff and Saturday was no different for Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. The true freshman came into the Tigers’ matchup against Syracuse knowing D.J. Uiagalelei would be the starter, but when Uiagalelei continued to struggle late, it was time for Klubnik to shine… and shine he did.

“That’s what you hope for,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter said. “When you have a guy that is special like Cade that you know can spark some energy into the group and really just get it going. That’s the sign of a kid that’s number one just ready to go and that isn’t scared of the moment at all. Just excited for him and for him to finally be able to get out onto the field. He hadn’t had a ton of game experience and for him to go out there with a lot of confidence and do some good things, I was really pleased.”

For Klubnik, his confidence comes from the hours and days of preparation leading up to this point. So, when his name was called late versus Syracuse, the Texas native was ready to go and soak it all in.

“Coach [Dabo] Swinney’s been saying, ‘Confidence comes from preparation,’” Klubnik said. “Coach Swinney, coach Streeter and that whole QB room, we’ve been preparing all week and we prepare every week like every single one of us is going to start the game, so I went into it excited to get my moment.”

And what a moment he had. While Klubnik came away with just 2-for-4 completions and 19 yards passing along with six carries for 15 yards, the backup led the Tigers to two back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to take the lead back for good and save Clemson’s undefeated season — a feat Klubnik is still coming to terms with following their latest win over the Orange, but one thing he is thankful for is the constant love and support from his starter in Uiagalelei.

“D.J.’s such a loving guy and our relationship is just so tight,” the former five-star prospect said. “I think a lot of people see it more as a competition, but it’s really a loving opportunity that we have for each other. He’s been able to push me in so many ways and I’ve been able to do the same for him. I just try to be the best leader I can be in every opportunity. He just gave me some last-minute tips and said, ‘Just go score,’ and just had full trust in me. Just super thankful for him for that.”

Now with his own special Clemson moment in the rearview, Klubnik is reminded of the great privilege it is to don the paw and Clemson orange while being surrounded by people who push him to be the best version of himself — a reality he won’t ever take for granted.

“I’m just so thankful to be here,” Klubnik said. “I think there’s a lot of people that would love to play football at Clemson and I’m just so thankful for this opportunity to even be here, to wear the paw on my helmet, the orange uniform and to be around such great people every day. I kinda needed to just take a step back and enjoy every moment that I have. You only play at most, 16 days out of every 365 days in a year. You prepared the entire year for those 16 days and it’s sometimes not about those 16 days, it’s about everything else. It’s been so fun to just soak it all in these past 10 minutes. It’s been really cool.”

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!

Twitter reacts to Cade Klubnik and the Tigers’ comeback win over Syracuse

Here is a look at how social media reacted to Clemson’s big comeback win over Syracuse.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers avoided an upset in Death Valley Saturday as No.5 Clemson took down No.14 Syracuse 27-21, remaining undefeated this season.

Clemson fans went through a lot watching this matchup as the Tigers entered halftime down 21-10, with the team playing arguably the worst football we’ve seen from them this season. A quarterback change in the 3rd quarter from DJ Uiagalelei to highly touted freshman Cade Klubnik was just the spark the Tigers’ offense needed to get things going.

While Klubnik didn’t produce anything wild statistically, Clemson’s offense scored 17 points in the fourth quarter as the team took home another top-25 win. Will Shipley continues to play the best football of his career, taking home a 50-yard game-winning touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Shipley has been thriving as the focal point of this Clemson offense.

Here is a look at how Twitter reacted to Clemson’s comeback win over the Orange:

Gallery: The best photos from Clemson’s comeback win vs. Syracuse

Here are the best photos from Clemson’s comeback victory against Syracuse on Saturday.

Overcoming an onslaught of miscues, No. 5 Clemson surged back late against No. 14 Syracuse on Saturday to come away with a 27-21 victory at Memorial Stadium.

In a game that came down to the wire, the Tigers were the more complete team in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 unanswered points on offense and forcing an interception with 15 seconds left in the game to seal the win.

The late surge by Clemson came after the Tigers entered halftime down 21-10. At the heart of Clemson’s struggles were turnovers, as the Tigers had four on the day, three of which came from starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.

The junior signal-caller was benched for Cade Klubnik, who energized the team and led the comeback victory.

The win marked the 38th consecutive win for Clemson at Death Valley, an ACC record for the longest home-game winning streak.

That said, here are the best photos from the Tigers’ win over the Orange on Saturday.

Five takeaways from Clemson’s comeback win over Syracuse

What we learned from Clemson’s comeback win over Syracuse.

Clemson improved to 8-0 (6-0 ACC) Saturday as Dabo Swinney’s team walked away from Death Valley with a 27-21 comeback win over Dino Babers and Syracuse.

It was a challenging game for Swinney and the Tigers as the the team struggled in the first half before getting things together in the second. Starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei had his worst performance of the season yet, leading to true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik taking over in the third quarter to help lead the Tigers to a comeback victory.

It wasn’t the best performance from either Clemson’s defense or offense but the team remained resilient as they put together a game defining second half.

The Tigers remain top dogs in the ACC after Week 8 maintaining their undefeated record. Game after game, we learn a little more about this No.5 Clemson team, with their dominant win over No.14 Syracuse being no different.

Here are five takeaways I believe to be some of the most important from Clemson’s Week 7 win over Syracuse.