Keys to Victory: No. 2 Clemson vs. Syracuse

Each week we give you a look at the history of the game, three keys to success, plus our staff predictions. Here is a look at the history between Clemson and Syracuse as the Orange visit Tiger Town.

Clemson is attempting to open 5-0 for the fourth straight season and for the sixth time in the last eight years. The Tigers are looking to their first five games of a season for the sixth time under Head Coach Dabo Swinney (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017). In addition to that, Clemson's five 5-0 starts under Swinney are already the most under any head coach in school history (Josh Cody, 3; Frank Howard, 2; Danny Ford, 2; Tommy Bowden, 1; John Heisman, 1)

Last weekend Clemson won its first ACC home game of the season for an eighth consecutive year. Clemson has won every ACC home opener dating back to 2011. An eighth straight victory by the Tigers in their ACC home opener would match the longest streak in program history, set across the 1964-71 seasons under head coaches Frank Howard and Cecil Ingram.

Clemson has also won 23 of its last 24 games against ACC Atlantic Division opponents, the only loss being last season's stumble at Syracuse.

The Tigers are also seeking their 11th consecutive win at Memorial Stadium, dating back to a 56-7 win against South Carolina on Nov. 25, 2016. The current 10-game streak is Clemson's third-longest home winning streak in Dabo Swinney’s tenure as head coach (21 from 2013-16, 13 from 2011-12). Incredibly, Clemson is 35-4 in ACC contests at Memorial Stadium under Head Coach Swinney.

The Match Up:

#2 Clemson (4-0, 1-0) vs Syracuse (4-0, 1-0)

Clemson vs Syracuse 2017 Highlights:

Clemson vs Syracuse 2016 Highlights:

All-Time Series:

Clemson leads: 4-2
at Clemson:  Tigers lead 2-0
at Syracuse: Tigers lead 2-1
Neutral: Syracuse leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Syracuse won 27-24 in 2017 
Last Clemson win: 54-0 in 2016
Last 5 Meetings: 4-1 Clemson
Streak: Syracuse has a one-game winning streak in the series

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Stat of the Week:

Clemson looks to force a takeaway in their 13th consecutive contest, which would be the program's longest streak since a 15-game stretch across the 2012-13 seasons. Along with that stat, the defense will be attempting to hold their opponents without a first-half touchdown for the eighth time in the last 10 games.

In fact, Clemson has kept opponents out of the end zone in the first half for an 11th consecutive home game. Clemson has not allowed a first-half touchdown at Memorial Stadium since Nov. 12, 2016, against Pittsburgh in their only loss in the national championship season.

© Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Orange raced past Clemson for a 27-24 win in the Carrier Dome.

Key 1: Slow the Tempo

This is not about Clemson's offense taking their time with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback. This is about slowing down Dino Babers' fast-paced attack that gave Clemson plenty of grief a year ago. Clemson's defensive line struggled last season against the Orange offense that throws punches even when you aren't looking.

It's a tough position for the linebackers who are constantly dealing with shifts, motion, and eye-candy. Essentially, Syracuse has taken a similar approach to what Clemson did when Chad Morris arrived-- up the tempo, maximize the snaps, minimize substitutions and try to take advantage of tired defenses.

If Brent Venables can find a way to slow Syracuse down, that will play in Clemson's favor. If the Orange are rolling all afternoon they could squeeze out another win against the No. 2 Tigers.

Key 2: Keep Lawrence Upright

Gone is senior quarterback Kelly Bryant, and with him goes an incredible running ability from the quarterback spot. Bryant was able to avoid a lot of sacks that less mobile quarterbacks would have been taken down on in his career, and having that ability can make an offensive line look really good. 

Freshman phenom quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who unseated Bryant and led to his departure from the program earlier this week, isn't a statue by any means. He flashed his ability to move on an 11-yard scramble against Georgia Tech last week. However, while Lawrence showed he was clearly the better passer between him and Bryant, Bryant was indeed the better runner. 

The offensive line may have to work a little harder to keep Lawrence upright than they did with Bryant. If they can, look out, because Lawrence is going to find the open man for big plays. But if they struggle, Lawrence may not be able to pull the tricks out of his hat that Bryant was able to throughout his career.

Key 3: Push the ball downfield

With Bryant at quarterback, the coaches seemed hesitant at times to stretch the field vertically in the passing game. As a result, the running lanes tightened up and the offense would bog down at times. With Lawrence, Clemson has a quarterback that can really push the ball deep and take advantage of some really talented players at receiver, like Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. 

This coaching staff used to preplan a number of downfield shots to take per game, but they went away from that with Bryant. If they go back to it with Lawrence, not only will you see more explosive plays down the field, but those running lanes for Travis Etienne, Tavien Feaster and Adam Choice will get a lot wider.

Prediction:

As we noted on Monday, the decision to move away from Bryant was data driven. The offense under Lawrence was much more efficient and crisp throughout the first four games. We've heard a lot of talk about Clemson not being able to pull out a win at Texas A&M without Bryant, but that seems a bit short-sighted given the true freshman's success thus far.

Had Lawrence been given more opportunities, there is no reason to believe that he would not have been more successful than Bryant against the Aggies.

Lawrence's arm opens up the offense today and Clemson gets payback for their lone regular-season blemish a year ago.  

Final Score Predictions: 

Perfect Prediction = 5 points              Best Prediction = 3 Points         Correct Prediction = 1 Point 

**Pick of the Week: Indicates the best prediction given for that game.