Syracuse loses another nail-biter, 17-14 to Clemson
Syracuse falls to 0-3 in conference play after loss to Clemson

The Orange were driving.
From their own 7-yard line, down 17-14 with 4:40 left in the game, redshirt sophomore quarterback Garrett Shrader and freshman running back Sean Tucker converted multiple clutch first downs to drive the Orange offense down to Clemsonâs 30-yard line.
But the Tigers didnât let Syracuse go any further. And with 38 seconds left, SU head coach Dino Babers trotted out Andre Szmyt to knock home a 48-yard attempt to tie the score 17-17.
Szmytâs last-chance effort fell short.

âI felt like we had momentum based on what was going on,â Babers said. âIf I knew what the outcome was I mightâve done something else.â
The outcome, a three point loss to Dabo Swinneyâs Clemson Tigers, is the third straight game SU has lost by three points to a conference opponent. Their last win, which ended in a made-kick from Szmyt, was decided by three points as well.
âWeâre right there,â Shrader said. âThree games, three points. Every single time. Weâre one play away, thatâs it.â
Momentum shifted late in the first half when Clemson, who was held to just 314 total yards, successfully completed a fake punt from the Orange 41-yard line with 1:14 to play.
Clemson punter Will Spiers caught the shotgun snap and flung a 17-yard completion down the right sideline to Davis Allen. Babers said he had an idea the Tigers were going to run a fake and kept his regular defense on the field because of it.

âOur punt returner went out, but the rest of our defense was out there,â Babers said. âIf our defense couldnât stop it, our punt return team sure in the heck wouldn’t have stopped it.â
Later in the drive, Kobe Pace plowed in a touchdown from 2-yards out which put the Tigers ahead 14-7. It ended the second quarter where Clemson jumped ahead on a pitch-and-catch from DJ Uiagalelei to Joseph Ngata. Then SU evened the scoreboard on a QB keeper from Shrader followed, by a 39-yard rush from Tucker.
Shrader, who finished with 191-yards on 17 of 37 passing attempts, hit Trebor Pena streaking down the middle of the field for a 62-yard touchdown to pull the Orange within three midway through the fourth quarter.
But even behind 183 all-purpose-yards from Tucker â 163 rushing and 20 receiving â the Orange fell 3-4 on the season and 0-3 in the ACC play. Theyâll play the Virginia Tech Hokies on the road next Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
âOffensively, we were very sloppy,â Shrader said. âYou look up in the fourth quarter and weâve got a chance to go down and win it. Thatâs the silver lining, but there are no moral victories. We gotta get better, period.â