A Syracuse QB's bold proclamation — and what it means for Clemson football, Dabo Swinney
Before the 2023 season even started, Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader made a bold prediction about playing Clemson football.
"This year, I think it's our year to take them down — hopefully," he said.
Now, about two months later, Shrader's claim looks a little less far-fetched than it might have then. The Tigers are 2-2 and 0-2 in ACC play for the first time since 2010. They're four weeks into the season, have already been eliminated from College Football Playoff contention and need a lot to go right to make the conference title game.
Shrader's theory will be tested Saturday (noon ET, ABC) when the Tigers face the Orange (4-0, 0-0 ACC) on the road at the JMA Wireless Dome.
When Shrader made his claim, the Clemson game was already set to be big for Syracuse. But few could have predicted that it would almost be an even bigger game for Clemson and Dabo Swinney as they fight to keep the season on the rails.
Syracuse plays Clemson football close
Six of the last 10 meetings between Clemson and Syracuse have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Two of the closest have been the past two games: In 2021, Clemson won by 3, and in 2022, it won by 6.
In the 2021 game, Clemson's defense held up well, but the offense punted eight times and only made it to the red zone twice, converting both times. A missed Syracuse field goal gave Clemson the win.
As for last season's game, Swinney doesn't like to think about it.
"I had put this game in a black hole somewhere; I'd actually forgotten all about it until I watched it again," Swinney said Tuesday. "That was a weird game. We were fortunate to win the game last year."
In 2022, the defense once again played well and limited the Orange, but the offense gave up four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles, one of which was returned for a 90-yard touchdown.
Those are much the same problems Clemson has had in its two losses this season. The defense has kept Clemson in games, and while the offense has gotten better each week, it's had costly turnovers and damning mistakes that have gotten it to where it is now: 2-2.
The stakes for Clemson football vs. Syracuse
Clemson can't afford to lose any of its remaining conference games to have any chance at an ACC championship appearance. But this game in particular is a must-win because of its timing and the context of the Tigers' season.
Clemson is already having to find something to play for now that its playoff hopes are dashed. Swinney and his players seem set on the idea that if 10-2 is the best they can do now, that's their new goal.
But if Clemson drops another game on the heels of an emotional overtime loss to rival Florida State, Swinney the expert motivator will have one of his toughest tasks yet: Trying to keep the Tigers on task for the remainder of the long season. Not to mention that Clemson hasn't started ACC play 0-3 since 1998, when they won one conference game.
Plus, the Tigers have much tougher games ahead. Miami, Notre Dame and North Carolina loom in October and November, not to mention the rivalry game against South Carolina in which Clemson has to prove last season's loss wasn't a turning of the tide. Clemson should beat Syracuse, but it also should have beaten Duke. It could have beaten Florida State. It has to win the games it should before it gets to those harder games.
Clemson's season is already less than what it hoped. But if Swinney and the Tigers are to keep it from getting completely out of hand, it can't let Shrader's July prediction come true.
Christina Long covers the Clemson Tigers for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@greenvillenews.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Garrett Shrader predicted Syracuse win over Clemson, Dabo Swinney
