Clemson has spent the first half of its ACC matchup with Syracuse piling up yards and settling for field goals, and that’s why the Tigers take a 9-6 lead into halftime at the JMA Wireless Dome.
It’s been the kind of game where offense has shown up in flashes, but finishing has been hard to find. Clemson has already reached the red zone three times and still only has nine points to show for it. The Tigers have created explosive plays, but those drives have too often stalled before they could turn into touchdowns.
Bryant Wesco has been the biggest reason Clemson has moved the ball at all. The veteran wideout has four catches for 91 yards and has emerged as Tait Reynolds’ top target in the first half.
His best grab came on a deep post, where he hauled in a 53-yard pass from Reynolds to help set up points. Wesco also showed off a different skill set, finding TJ for a 36-yard completion.
Clemson has also gotten a boost from its pass rush, which has now shown up for the third straight game. Jahiem Lawson got the first sack of the afternoon by bending around Syracuse’s right tackle early, and Will Heldt later beat the same matchup before a hand to Steve Angeli’s face brought a roughing-the-passer penalty. Earlier in the week, Dabo Swinney said Clemson’s pass rushers were the team’s most improved unit, and that has held true so far.
The Tigers’ defense has done enough to keep Syracuse out of the end zone, even when the Orange have worked their way into scoring range. Syracuse opened with a field goal, but another promising drive ended with a shot off the crossbar, taking three points off the board.
On the other side, Clemson has had the kind of explosive starts that usually lead to bigger numbers. Jarvis Green ripped off 52 yards on the first play of the game, but that drive still ended with three points. Reynolds then connected with Wesco on another deep shot to spark a different series, only for Clemson to settle for another field goal.
Ahmad Miller has also given Syracuse a steady presence on the ground, and that has helped Tom Allen’s offense stay balanced. Miller has 53 yards in the first half, giving Angeli enough support to keep the Orange within striking distance.
The biggest issue for Clemson is simple: the Tigers have to finish. Against Florida State, Reynolds threw two red-zone touchdowns to Christian Bentancur and Olsen Patt-Henry.
This time, the big plays have come without the payoff. With two gains of 50 yards or more already in the books, Clemson needs more than field goals if it wants to put some separation on the scoreboard.
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Georgia Tech offers a chance to steady things, but the real pressure is building around what comes after. Duke and South Carolina are both positioned to make Clemson earn every bit of progress down the stretch, and the poll only sharpened the sense that these last two matchups could decide how the season is remembered. For a team trying to climb back into the national conversation, the margin for error just got a whole lot thinner. [Read more 🡒]