BOX SCORE | GAME NOTES
CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson (1-3, 0-2 ACC) racked up a season-high 503 yards of offense, but Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 ACC) ran out to a 24-7 first-half lead en route to a 34-21 Orange win at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Running back Adam Randall recorded 227 all-purpose yards, including seven catches for 44 yards and a touchdown in addition to his 130 rushing yards. Sophomore wide receiver T.J. Moore led all Clemson receivers with eight catches for 92 yards and Bryant Wesco Jr. added 79 yards and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik went 37-for-60 for 363 yards and three touchdown passes.
Defensively, T.J. Parker, Stephiylan Green, and Jahiem Lawson each recorded a sack. Linebacker Wade Woodaz led the team with 10 tackles and Lawson had two tackles for loss.
Syracuse opened the scoring on its first drive when quarterback Steve Angeli connected with Justus Ross-Simmons on a 12-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made the score 7-0 with 11:05 remaining in the first quarter. After recovering a surprise onside kick, Syracuse used 11 plays to move into position for kicker Tripp Woody to add another three points to the Orange’s lead with a 23-yard field goal with 7:40 on the clock.
Clemson capitalized on its first possession of the game, finishing a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik to Bryant Wesco Jr. to make it 10-7 with 3:21 to play in the first quarter.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Syracuse extended its lead to 17-7 after completing a nine-play drive with a nine-yard rushing touchdown from Will Nixon. After forcing Clemson to punt, Angeli found Darrell Gill Jr. for a 22-yard touchdown pass to make the score 24-7 with 9:18 remaining in the half.
The teams traded punts on the next two drives before Klubnik finished a 13-play, 92-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Adam Randall with 1:06 left to play in the half, cutting Syracuse’s halftime advantage to 24-14.
The teams incurred a one-hour-and-36-minute lightning delay that began with four minutes remaining in halftime. Syracuse increased its lead in the third quarter as Woody converted a 49-yard field goal with 11:44 on the clock. Later in the quarter, the Orange recovered a Clemson fumble, and Rickie Collins connected with Ross-Simmons on an 18-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead 34-14.
With 9:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Klubnik finished a nine-play, 81-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Wesco to make the score 34-21. But an interception and a turnover on downs on Clemson’s final two possessions gave Syracuse the victory.
Clemson now enters the first of its two scheduled regular season open dates next week. The Tigers will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 4 at North Carolina. Kickoff time and the network television designation for that game are still to be announced. Clemson’s next home game at Memorial Stadium will be on Saturday, Oct. 18 vs. SMU; ticket information for all of Clemson’s four remaining home games is available here.
