17-point favorite Clemson falls to 1-3 after 34-21 loss to Syracuse
CLEMSON — Clemson’s best player spent most of Saturday watching the game plan move away from him.
Adam Randall was everything the Tigers needed against Syracuse, ripping off 12 carries for 121 yards through the first half and into the third quarter—more than 10 yards a pop. To open the second half, he touched it four straight times for gains of 10, 13, 10 and 3 yards.
A season-defining drive was building.
And then, just like that, he didn’t see the ball again.
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Clemson went incomplete pass, illegal snap, incomplete pass. Turnover on downs.
A possession later, down 27-14, the Tigers faced 3rd-and-1 at the Syracuse’s 44. Instead of handing off to a back averaging nearly a first down per carry, the call was a quarterback run for no gain followed by another pass on fourth down.
Randall would finish with 16 carries for 130 yards and 227 all purpose yards, but the story was more about when he didn’t get the ball.
It was, well, one of the themes of the day — coaching decisions that left more questions than answers as Clemson slipped to 1-3 for the first time since 2004, and the first time under Dabo Swinney.
Syracuse (3-1, 1-0), which a year ago breathed life into Clemson’s playoff push, took it away this time in a 34-21 win.
The Tigers are now 0-2 in the ACC for the first time since 2010 and have dropped three of four to open the season.
Counting last year’s Texas loss, it’s their first four-game skid against Power Four opponents since 1998.
Cade Klubnik’s stat line looked sharper—37-for-60, 363 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
He was more comfortable with Antonio Williams back on the field, but that didn’t mask the multitude of the missed opportunities.
TJ Moore finished with 92 yards, Bryant Wesco had 79 yards and two touchdowns, and Williams chipped in 49 yards. Ten different Tigers caught a pass.
On paper, that balance should have kept the Tigers competitive.
But the efficiency told a different story.
The Tigers were just 3-of-13 on third down and 1-of-5 on fourth.
The defense can’t be absolved either—if anything, it shoulders more of the blame.
Syracuse’s opening script buried the Tigers before Klubnik ever touched the ball. Syracuse ran 18 straight plays to start the game, piling up 124 yards and 10 points.
An onside kick recovery piled on the pressure, and the Orange never really let Clemson off the mat.
Quarterback Steve Angeli threw for 244 yards and two scores before leaving with an injury in the third quarter.
Backup Rickie Collins stepped in and immediately tossed a touchdown.
The Orange weren’t one-dimensional either. Yasin Willis and the rest of Syracuse’s backs consistently found lanes against Clemson’s front seven, piling up 157 yards.
And the receivers delivered just as much damage.
Johntay Cook II led the way with 113 yards on six catches, while Justus Ross-Simmons added 53 yards and two touchdowns.
In all, five different Syracuse receivers topped 20 yards as they made contested grabs and extended drives.
This was more than just a loss.
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It was the kind that forces questions about identity and the overall direction of the program.
Clemson once thrived on imposing its will, dictating matchups and finding answers when things broke down.
Saturday afternoon was the opposite—a game where the best player stood with his hands off the ball, and the Tigers watched more season goals slip away.
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The Tigers head into a much-needed off week before traveling to Chapel Hill on Oct. 4 to face Bill Belichick’s North Carolina team as they continue to search for answers.
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