Clemson "Domed Up" at Syracuse
Friday the 13th of October is an eerie date. Weird things tend to happen. In college football, the chaos doesn't end no matter what day it is.
It was an eerie feeling all night as No. 2 Clemson (6-1, 4-1) fell to head coach Dino Babers and his Syracuse Orange 27-24 in the Carrier Dome.
Clemson came in winning 49 of its last 50 against unranked opponents.
The defending national champions never led. Clemson beat Syracuse 54-0 last season in Death Valley, but couldn't get out of their own way most of the night.
The ending of the game just about summed up the entire evening for Clemson.
Down 27-24 Will Spiers faked a punt on fourth-and-seven and threw a deep pass to Tanner Muse that was broken up. Syracuse got the ball back with 6:10 left in the game and the Clemson offense never saw the field again.
The Orange converted on two third downs on their final drive to keep Clemson off the field. The first came on third-and-11 when it looked like Syracuse was going to run the ball and pin Clemson deep. Quarterback Eric Dungey found an open receiver on the sideline to convert the first down and get into field goal range. The Orange went 8-for 19 on third downs conversions.
Fittingly, Dungey ended the game with his legs by converting a third-and-eight on a quarterback draw. His ability to scramble made life difficult for Clemson’s front seven in the early stages of the game.
Dungey threw for 20 completions on 32 attempts for 278 yards, three touchdowns, and added 61 yards on the ground.
It did not look like Clemson was ready for Syracuse’s fast-paced offense. It is one thing to know it’s coming, but another to stop it.
Clemson gave up a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time since playing Pittsburgh a year ago. That game was the last time the Clemson Tigers had tasted defeat.
Quarterback Kelly Bryant started the game after we heard all week that he looked good and was “ready to roll.”
Bryant made some excellent throws early but never looked 100-percent. On a second-and-short early in the game, Bryant dropped back to pass and rolled out right. He lightly jogged to the sideline and barely made it back to the line of scrimmage, a play where he probably would have gotten the first down if he was able to run full speed.
Watching Bryant hobble around at times, you wonder if he should have been playing in tonight’s game at all.
His inability to be a capable runner put Clemson’s offense in a hole. The Tiger offense had been so successful in the past because of Bryant’s ability to escape pressure and make plays with his legs. Without that, they were one-dimensional.
Right before the half, Bryant’s hurt ankle got rolled up on, and he was in obvious pain while limping to the line of scrimmage. On the next play, a hobbled Bryant tried to run for a first down but was slammed hard to the ground, and he was out.
He went through the concussion protocol and did not return to the game. Zerrick Cooper came on in relief and played the entire second half.
The loss of Kelly Bryant was key, however, his loss had nothing to do with the fact that Clemson’s secondary couldn’t slow Syracuse's vaunted air-assault. The Orange hit on big play after big play in the downfield passing game. Mental errors, busted coverages, and penalties were back-breakers for a defense that seemed dominant through the first six games of 2017.
The Tigers were domed up and couldn’t get out of their own way. Clemson racked up 13 penalties for 115 yards. It came into the game averaging just 40.7 penalty yards in its first six games.
To be 'domed up' means that you are unfocused and inside your own head. That seems to be the only possible explanation for a Clemson team that kept making mental errors. So many that that Tigers did not deserve to win the game.
You could look at a number of plays or penalties that could have changed the game.
A Tanner Muse scoop-and-score will be overshadowed by some busted coverages and nightmares of Steve Ishmael and Ervin Phillips reeking havoc on the secondary.
Losing Greg Huegle for the season a few weeks ago finally caught up with the Tigers as Alex Spence missed two crucial field goals, and he missed them badly. Clemson will need Spence again and tonight's performance will certainly be hard to shake for the Tiger kicker.
But no plays were more significant than two Clemson penalties on a Syracuse scoring drive in the fourth quarter that gave the Orange a three-point lead with 9:41 left.
With the score tied at 24, Clemson had Syracuse stopped on third down twice. A pass interference penalty would negate one stop and another offsides call on Austin Bryant, after a sack, kept the defense on the field. The Orange would take advantage knocking through a field goal and taking the lead for good.
The Tigers were outgained 409 yards to 287. Syracuse ran for 162 yards on the night against a Clemson defense that only averages giving up 98 yards per game on the ground.
Tonight was Clemson’s first loss on the road since November 15th, 2014 at Georgia Tech. Coincidentally, Clemson’s starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, had to leave that game with an injury as well.
But make no mistake about it: Syracuse, who lost to Middle Tennesse State, out-played and out-coached Clemson.
Even with the loss, the Tigers still control their own destiny in the ACC and the playoff picture. They just won’t go undefeated.
A loss to Pittsburgh woke them up last year so it’ll be interesting to see how Clemson responds moving forward into the bye week.
"Every goal we have is still there. We lost a game last year and won a National Championship. We'll respond," Swinney said.
Tonight, Clemson was domed up in the Carrier Dome and couldn’t escape college football’s madness on an eerie Friday the 13th.