Clemson's defense crushes Syracuse's hope for a win, national ranking

SYRACUSE — Even with its 4-0 start, Syracuse expected its Atlantic Coast Conference opener against Clemson to be a tough test.

Clemson's slow start the season wasn't apparent Saturday in front of 40,973 at the JMA Wireless Dome, when the Tigers left Central New York with a 31-14 victory.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik played well for Clemson, but his defense had five sacks and forced three turnovers. The Orange never got within 10 points after the first quarter.

Marlowe Wax Jr., Leon Lowery Jr., Garrett Schrader, Dan Villari and LeQuint Allen each had breakout games for the Orange.

"Obviously we saw a different football team than people have been seeing recently, but those guys are extremely talented, and they were highly motivated and there's no doubt they played an exceptional game against us," Syracuse coach Dino Babers said.

What it means

Syracuse fell to 4-1 overall and 0-1 in ACC play. The Orange defeated Colgate, Western Michigan, Purdue and Army in nonleague contests earlier this month.

The Orange were hopeful to be ranked with a victory, but the loss may set the Orange back. SU received 32 votes in the Coaches Poll and eight votes in the AP poll after Week 4. Syracuse will have to shore up its pass protection and cut down on turnovers if it wants to get back on a winning track.

What's next?

Syracuse will try to bounce back during a visit highly-touted quarterback prospect Drake Maye and No. 15 North Carolina (4-0) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney's Tigers host Wake Forest (3-1) at the same time and date in another ACC battle.

"That was all we were trying to do, was just somehow find a way to win the game," Swinney said.

Players of the game

Clemson's Cade Klubnik

The Clemson quarterback completed 23 of 37 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Troy Stellato and Beaux Collins on the scores.

Syracuse's Leon Lowery Jr.

The junior linebacker recorded two sacks, one of which turned the ball over on downs and ended a Clemson red zone trip.

Game balls

Syracuse's Garrett Schrader

The Syracuse quarterback threw for 181 yards and two touchdown passes in a losing effort. Schrader also rushed a team-high 15 times for 53 yards. Clemson's fierce pass rush forced Schrader to complete just 15 of 29 pass attempts. He also threw an interception and was sacked five times.

"I thought the defense played 'studly'," Schrader said. "They gave us every opportunity. So I'll take responsibility on the offensive end. We can't have three turnovers … and we got to go out and make plays. If we're not doing that at a high level, and we turn the ball over how I did, I give us no chance to even compete."

Clemson's TJ Parker

The freshman defensive end recorded two of Clemson's five sacks. Parker also registered five tackles and a quarterback hurry.

Syracuse's Marlowe Wax Jr.

Two of the junior linebacker's seven total tackles were for losses. He also had a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble and a pass break up. Kevon Darton and Caleb Okechukwu were also important in providing quarterback pressures.

Plays of the game

Schrader had a clean pocket when he found running back LeQuint Allen Jr. for a six-yard score, pulling the Orange within 10 with 12:23 remaining in the fourth. Allen Jr. ran a crisp wheel route to beat Clemson's linebacker to the corner of the end zone.

Clemson had a game-defining sequence up 24-14 in the fourth. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. intercepted a pass intended for Damien Alford at SU's 32. On the very next play, Phil Mafah broke through a hole on the left side and scored a 32-yard touchdown to give Clemson a 17-point lead with 6:38 remaining, ending all hopes of a Syracuse comeback attempt.

By the numbers

1 — Number of career touchdowns for tight end Dan Villari. He broke multiple tackles on his first quarter 28-yard touchdown reception.

13 — Amount of yards Syracuse's Jayden Bellamy his fumble recovery that led to a Allen Jr.'s touchdown. Myles Farmer forced the fumble, tackling Jake Briningstool as soon as he caught the ball.

57 — The distance on Syracuse kicker Brady Denaburg's field goal attempt that fell way short. The Orange trailed 14-7 with 3:25 remaining in the first half at the time.

158 — Receiving yards for Clemson's Tyler Brown. He led the game in receiving yards and had a game-high eight receptions.

They said it

Cade Klubnik, Clemson: "I feel like we're getting better every game. I feel like I'm getting better every day game and just continue to just, you know, just (be) comfortable out there and feel great."

Leon Lowery Jr., Syracuse: "We got to go back to the drawing board. Take this as a big lesson. We got to come stronger next week. We can't let this start spiraling down hill."

Garrett Schrader, Syracuse: "The turnovers absolutely killed us."

Dabo Swinney, Clemson: "I think we won the matchups up front and created some disruption and we challenged them. We forced the issue."

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Syracuse vs. Clemson: Orange give up 5 sacks, 3 turnovers in loss