Syracuse quarterback: It’s ‘our year’ to beat Clemson football team
The Syracuse football team had Clemson on the ropes in Death Valley last fall, leading the Tigers 21-10 entering the fourth quarter in a battle of Top 15 teams.
This time around, Orange quarterback Garrett Shrader thinks they’ll finish the job.
Speaking at the ACC Kickoff preseason media event Tuesday, Shrader, Syracuse’s fifth-year starting quarterback, said Clemson is “obviously one of the best teams in the country” and gets the best from all of its opponents. That includes the Orange, who lost to Clemson 27-21 last season after blowing an 11-point fourth quarter lead.
“This year, I think it’s our year to take them down,” Shrader said, per TigerNet. “Hopefully. We’ve got to be ready to play and take it one week at a time. I’m excited.”
Clemson’s 2022 win over Syracuse (which was 6-1 and ranked No. 14 nationally in The Associated Press Top 25 at that point) moved the Tigers to 9-2 all time against the Orange, with all but one of those games coming since the Orange moved from the Big East to the ACC in 2013.
The Tigers have won five straight in the series since Syracuse’s memorable upset win over then-No. 2 Clemson in 2017 and nine of 10 since 2013, but it’s been close. Syracuse, a former ACC Atlantic Division foe, has stayed within a touchdown of Clemson in two of their last four and in four of their last six meetings (including the 2017 win).
Syracuse, coached by Dino Babers, has also covered the spread against Clemson in five of the last six meetings despite being a double-digit underdog in each contest. (Clemson was favored by 14 points last season and won by six.)
Last year’s game featured plenty of dramatics. Clemson trailed 21-10 before benching then-starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei midway through the third quarter after his third turnover.
Cade Klubnik, then a true freshman backup quarterback, came off the bench to lead two straight touchdown drives and three straight scoring drives to engineer Clemson’s first 11-point fourth quarter comeback since the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU.
Shrader was excellent most of the day, rushing a career-high 21 times for 71 yards and completing 18 of 26 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. Trailing 27-21, Syracuse drove down to Clemson’s 30-yard line with no timeouts remaining before safety R.J. Mickens picked Shrader off with 15 seconds left to end the game.
Clemson-Syracuse games have been chippy in the past, and the 2022 game was no exception. The generally reserved Babers kept that conversation going by laying out a number of frustrations with officiating in the loss (including inconsistency on roughing the passer calls) the following week.
Clemson will travel to Syracuse for a Saturday Sept. 30 game at the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly the Carrier Dome). It’ll be the Tigers’ fifth game of the 2023 season.
This story was originally published July 25, 2023 at 2:17 PM.
