Dabo Swinney on the overturned targeting call on Justin Mascoll

Justin Mascoll laid a monster hit on Garrett Shrader, and the refs made the right call, overturning the targeting call.

Clemson defensive end Justin Mascoll laid the boom on Syracuse starting quarterback Garrett Shrader, and if it weren’t for the competency behind the replay review, the Tigers would have lost one of their top defenders early in their 31-14 win over the Orange.

On the Orange opening drive, Mascoll stopped a 19-yard Shrader run with a monster hit that caused a fumble that was recovered by the Tigers. Flags flew, with targeting being the call after the crushing hit from the defensive end. 

Swinney did not react well to the flags, knowing it was a clean hit by his defender. 

“I just saw it clean. I did not see what they saw,” Swinney said. “I saw a clean hit.”

“It looked worse than it was because (Shrader) did not see it coming,” Swinney said. “I think sometimes when it is a quarterback… but he was not a defenseless player. He is running the ball, and he is not sliding. He is not a guy that slides. He is a punishing runner, but he just did not see him. I know it looks worse than it was, but I thought it was a clean hit from the get-go.”

These moments are always scary ones for teams, as you never know which way these officials might go. In the past, we’ve seen some questionable targeting calls confirmed in huge situations.

This time, the officials got it right.

Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader: ‘We beat ourselves more than they beat us’

Garrett Shrader has had a lot to say about Clemson during his time as the Syracuse starting quarterback.

Before Saturday’s matchup between Clemson and Syracuse, Orange quarterback Garrett Shrader did some talking, as he’s been known to do when facing the Tigers. 

Last year, it was this…

“So, I don’t know why, but I’m excited – I think this is our year to take them down, and there’d be no better way to do it than in Death Valley.”

This year, it was this… 

“Last year, we played Clemson, we had six or seven starters out – and they were done for the year,” said Shrader. “We got the depth, we got guys coming back. We got everything we need. Now we got to just go out and play, and we’re talented enough, and we can do it. So, we just got to make sure we show up ready to play on Saturday, and we can go out. We can beat these guys.”

Sometimes, you need to let your play do the talking, and that did not happen on Saturday. Shrader was solid but not great, completing 15 of 29 passes for 181 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He was limited to just 24 yards on the ground. 

Clemson’s defense was a nightmare for the Syracuse veteran quarterback, sacking him 5 times and shutting them down on the ground. Their offense had no answers for Clemson’s stellar defense. 

After the game, Shrader gave the Clemson defense their due but doesn’t believe they were the reason the Orange lost. According to Shrader, Syracuse beat themselves.

” They’ve got great players, but they played exactly how we thought they would, and we were prepared. We just did not play well; I thought we beat ourselves more than they beat us,” Shrader said.

Watching that game, I’m going to disagree, but I wasn’t on the field like he was. Clemson dominated this matchup, and it could have been worse if the offense didn’t play like they were trying to hold onto the lead in the second half.

If you talk the talk, you best walk the walk!

Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader believes the Orange have everything they need to beat Clemson

Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader believes the Orange have all the tools to take down the Tigers on Saturday.

Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader is confident in his team and believes that the Orange have everything needed to take down Clemson at home on Saturday. 

Where have I heard this before? Ah, yes. Last season, Shrader thought it was the Orange’s year to take down the Tigers... which they didn’t. All jokes aside, last season was a close matchup where Clemson had to come from behind for the win. 

There is a real chance that this could be the year Shrader gets it done, but it will not be easy. Clemson (2-2, 0-2 ACC) is looking for their first conference win, and Syracuse (4-0, 0-0 ACC) has a tough assignment to open conference play. Even so, the fifth-year quarterback feels confident in his team.

“Last year, we played Clemson, we had six or seven starters out – and they were done for the year,” said Shrader. “We got the depth, we got guys coming back. We got everything we need. Now we got to just go out and play, and we’re talented enough, and we can do it. So, we just got to make sure we show up ready to play on Saturday, and we can go out. We can beat these guys.”

On any given Saturday, something crazy can happen. While the Tigers enter this matchup as the favorite, they were the same in their Week 1 road loss to Duke. 

Even with the possibility of anupset, this is a different Clemson team than we saw in Week 1. They are only getting better, and they are hungry for a recovery win after their tough loss to Florida State.

Considering both team’s situation and the talent on each roster, this is shaping up to be an exciting game. 

A Vulnerable Clemson team looks to extend win streak against Cuse

Tigers are 0-2 in the conference, and one more loss could end any chance of them reaching the ACC Championship game.

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.

Syracuse QB on Clemson: ‘It’s our year to take them down’

Syracuse starting quarterback Garrett Shrader believes it’s Syracuse’s time to take down the Tigers.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have had some close battles with the Syracuse Orange over the years, and according to the Orange’s starting quarterback, this is the year they should take down the Tigers. 

The Orange had their chance last season, heading into the fourth quarter with a 21-10 Syracuse lead over the Tigers, but they failed to take advantage. Clemson turned things up and scored 17 unanswered points, taking down Syracuse in a crazy fashion. 

Heading into 2023, Syracuse starting quarterback Garrett Shrader had some words to say during the 2023 ACC Kickoff.

“I think just the reputation that coach Swinney has and that program that he’s built, you know, they’re obviously one of the best teams in the country typically. And so keeping that in mind most most of the time, Clemson is gonna get everybody’s best,” Shrader said. “It’s hard to sustain that he continued to win games, everybody’s gonna put up their best punches every week. But besides that, I mean, we’re, I’m confident in the ability and the skill that we have our players. And we can play with anybody in the conference, there’s no doubt, I truly mean that there’s not a team that we can line up against when we’re healthy and we play or we can beat.”

In last year’s loss to the Tigers, Shrader completed 18-of-26 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The interception sealed the Tigers’ victory. According to Shrader, 2023 will be different.

“I think it’s our year to take them down, hopefully, and we just got to be ready to play and take it one week at a time and I’m excited.”

We won’t know until they match up on September 30 at the JMA Wireless Dome, where Shrader can back his words.

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Dillon Gabriel among Pro Football Focus’ highest graded returning quarterbacks for 2023

Dillon Gabriel is among Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterbacks returning for the 2023 season.

The 2023 college football season will be written by returning quarterbacks. It’s a deep group of passers that features 2022’s Heisman trophy winner and a number of players that had breakout seasons a year ago.

Pro Football Focus released a list of their highest-graded returning quarterbacks for the 2023 season, and Dillon Gabriel was among a who’s who of players.

Despite missing a half against TCU and the Red River showdown, Gabriel was very good for his first year at the Power Five level. It helps that Gabriel worked with Lebby at UCF when he was a true freshman. It made for a seamless transition.

In Dillon Gabriel’s true freshman season in 2019, he and Lebby helped the UCF offense rank No. 5 in total offense. Gabriel had 3,653 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns that year. Against a higher level of competition, Gabriel put up similar numbers in his first season with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Here’s a look a the top 10 returning quarterbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

How Twitter reacted to Notre Dame-Syracuse: Orange side

Not a happy group as you can imagine.

There can’t be a college football fan base more frustrated than Syracuse right now. Yes, there are teams having far worse seasons, but the past two weeks has to have left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. First, your team comes incredibly close to pulling off one of the season’s biggest upsets at Clemson only to let it slip away. Now, you have to deal your team losing to Notre Dame, 41-24, in its worst game of the year, which also saw starting quarterback Garrett Shrader miss the second half with an injury.

Three of the Orange’s remaining games are against teams they should be favored against, but none of their supporters are thinking about that right now. They would rather think about something besides football, and that became clear to the TV audience. The JMA Wireless Dome was packed at the start of the game against the Irish, but many of the fans already had left by the time it was over. Maybe some of them are part of this collection of tweets:

Twitter reacts to Brandon Joseph’s pick-six on first play of game

What a way to begin.

Did anyone remember that [autotag]Brandon Joseph[/autotag] played for Notre Dame before Saturday? The transfer from Northwestern might have slipped through the cracks for some Irish fans. However, he reminded everyone he exists in a big way on the first play from scrimmage against Syracuse. Garrett Shrader surely will be asking himself how he didn’t see Joseph, who gave the Irish their first defensive touchdown of the season:

It’s worth noting that since this happened on the first play from scrimmage, it won’t mean anything if the Irish don’t play up to that level for the rest of the game. Despite the recent loss to Clemson, the Orange are no slouch, and anyone who doesn’t treat them like that is in for a rude awakening. With them also playing at home, the environment won’t be very forgiving either. The Irish surely are aware of that.

Still, that was an exciting way to begin things, and here’s how Twitter reacted to Joseph’s big play:

Let’s get wild, week 9: Statistical predictions for Notre Dame vs Syracuse

Which stats do you think help the Irish get a win today?

Although Syracuse isn’t a traditional power, they still boast a very quality team this fall. Their lone loss was last week to an undefeated Clemson squad, which didn’t really give a blueprint for how to beat the Orange. The Irish will have to do it their way and here are some stats that could help Notre Dame get another road upset victory against a ranked opponent.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Five keys for Notre Dame to defeat Syracuse

What are your keys?

We have seen this scenario this year for Notre Dame, twice before actually. The Irish head on the road to face a top 25 opponent, I know BYU was a “home game” but in reality it was on the road. Marcus Freeman has seen his team split those games, so this will be a deciding factor if the Irish are really making progress.

This game won’t be easy, these two teams mirror each other, so far with Syracuse doing it a bit better than the Irish. Find out five keys for Notre Dame to get their second “road” upset victory below.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen