... SYRACUSE SYR-VIVES A LAST-MINUTE GAFFE; HOLDS OFF CLEMSON
For much of their Week 3 ECFA game against the Clemson Tigers, the Syracuse Orangemen were their typical, quietly dominating selves. Cooly pounding the ball down the Tigers' throats, then crossing them up at just the right time to take a 17-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
But despite their 0-2 record coming in, Syracuse soon found out these weren't the same old sorry ********** Clemson Tigers. Clemson rallied to within 17-14, and then with all hope seemingly lost and no time outs left, forced a fumble giving them 2 plays and 87 yards to go for the winning score with 25 seconds left. Quarterback Kyle Parker found an open man on the first play 20 yards down field, but missed him. That left 4 seconds left and time for one last play. But Parker was pressured by Syracuse DL Chandler Jones, and had to scramble just to get out of the end zone, taking an 11-yard sack on the final play as the Orangemen stayed perfect with a 17-14 win.
Syracuse won this one mostly with its running game, as the left side of the Orangemen offensive line plowed through the right side of the Clemson defense. Syracuse (3-0, 2-0 Eastern Conference) ran for 154 yards on 25 carries, with Antwan Bailey (16-96) leading the charge. But the Orangemen got their touchdowns through the air. First, Ryan Nassib hit Bailey with a shovel pass for a 1-yard score, and later he completed a 19-yard pass to Van Chew, who was wide open in the corner of the end zone, for a second score. Nassib was a modest 10-for-15 for 102 yards, but had 2 TDs and 0 INTs and with the rushing attack being what it was, that was about as good as he needed to be.
Conversely, Clemson had no ground game, losing 25 yards on 7 attempts. Two of those were sacks of Parker, and only one run - a 12-yard Parker scramble, gained positive yards the entire game. Parker struggled through the air, going 9-for-21 for 149 yards, his yardage total perked up by a 62-yard catch and run TD from Marquan Jones that tied the game at 7 in the second quarter. Syracuse added a field goal before the end of the half to take a 10-7 lead. The teams traded punts in the third quarter before Chew's touchdown catch on the quarter's final play made it 17-7.
After Parker's 12-yard run to open the final quarter, Clemson went 52 yards on the next 9 plays, all passes, before tailback Andre Ellington caught a 14-yard touchdown pass. He made the most of the new Rare Play Chart, as when he caught the ball, only one Syracuse player was allowed to pivot. That tackler missed, and Ellington was free. He did the rest to make it 17-14.
Syracuse then drove 58 yards to the Clemson 13 before Bailey fumbled, but the Tigers were thwarted in the final seconds.
Clemson is 0-3, 0-1 East, and will play conference foe Kentucky next week. Syracuse has a monster non-conference game against Illinois in Week 4.
Ed
