Now or Never Has Probably Arrived
There isn’t much left to say about last week other than it unfortunately went as I feared. I banked on GT’s toughness and belief just being ahead of the Tigers at this point in the season and that proved true. The Yellow Jackets brought the fight and physicality right from the start and Clemson took a quarter to start matching it. That simply has to stop happening. Clemson has to start throwing the first punch. There were silver linings to be found, but those tend to not matter to most when the end result
is a 1-2 record and an exit from the Top 25.
Dabo Swinney tried to circle the wagons in the press conference this week, which is how he usually reacts when things start sliding like this. The good news for Clemson fans, and what I cling to myself, is his stellar track record for getting his teams to win games even when things are looking shaky. I thought the 2023 team had a zero percent chance to handle Notre Dame, but the team played their best game of the year. That 2021 team looked like a reboot of the 2010 unit but got to 10 wins. LSU has proven to be elite defensively, even if their offense has sputtered more than expected. GT is a good football team as well, so it is possible those losses will be to teams winning 10 or more games when it is all said and done.
Syracuse comes to town as an energized program under Fran Brown, and they’ve already managed to give Clemson fits more often than not, including nearly beating the 2018 championship team. Clemson needs to win in the worst way and win in a way that shows everyone this team can be a problem for folks going forward.
Clemson Offense vs. Syracuse Defense: Against Georgia Tech, the Tiger offense sputtered once again out of the gate with a bad turnover among other things and found itself having to dig out of a two score hole for the second straight week. When the team got things going, like the third quarter, the offense failed to bury the Jackets when they had the chance. The biggest bright spot was probably how the offense matched GT’s go-ahead score to tie the game. That featured some clutch plays from Cade that you have to hope will be a catalyst to his looking more like the NFL first round pick many projected him to become before the season.
Syracuse does not have a great defense but still has enough pieces and physicality to create some of the same issues LSU, Troy, and GT did for the Tigers. Clemson’s OL, along with Klubnik, has to be better at identifying pressures and how to secure the point of attack. Eric Mac Lain did an excellent job of pointing out some head scratching moments where an OL ends up blocking air for no good reason. I’m sure injuries to Tristan Leigh and Elyjah Thurmon have not helped in this regard, but Matt Luke needs to get this group turned around. They played better last week, but GT also played a lot more 2 deep shell than what Clemson had been seeing. Clemson needed to run the ball at that and they did put up a season high 170+ yards, but there definitely felt like a lot more meat was left on the bone particularly with getting Adam Randall more touches.
Syracuse is going to take more risks on defense than GT did and hope their offense can bail them out if they get burned. Clemson should have plenty of chances to create explosive plays, but they also will have a higher probability for sacks, TFLs, and balls in jeopardy. Clemson’s elite offenses always seem to have a play or two that they could lean on for 5-7 yards at any time. Usually it was a quick out route or WR screen, depending on the year. This offense hasn’t found that yet, though the out routes to Wesco have been there and that was where his critical drop occurred. The Tigers need to hammer folks with Randall who is proving himself to be the physical load we hoped he could be when he moved to RB. He is going to be a problem for second and third level defenders if the OL can get him there more often. Clemson worked Tyler Brown and Cade Klubnik a lot more in the run game as well, though it is risky to put a heavy carry load on Cade on a consistent basis.
Simply put, Clemson’s offense needs to show blitzing them comes at a price and if you play 2 deep shells, this team is happy to pound you with the run game. Cade needs to be in 2 minute offense mode mentally from the first snap and play like he WANTS Syracuse to test him with leaving someone in single coverage. Or, like in the LSU game, leave a guy open.
It certainly would help if Antonio Williams could get back in the fold. He just seems to open things up in a way that is hard to realize until he isn’t out there, not to mention how Cade just seems more relaxed when he is. Fortunately, he is listed as probable:
T.J. Moore has had a rough start to the season, though he did do a great job blocking for Wesco on that long TD play. Syracuse will likely try to be very physical with Clemson’s skill, and that was an area I thought GT’s corners and safeties did a great job. The Orange don’t have the horses to play straight up base defenses and will need movement and overloads to try to get Clemson off schedule or create turnovers. Cade needs to show he’s ready to know where things are coming from and make them pay the price for those calculated risks.
I picked T.J. Moore as the X-factor last week, and perhaps his minimal impact is part of why Clemson lost. This week I’m going to go with Cade Klubnik. If he just was playing more like the guy we saw in Austin last year this team would be 3-0 and not 1-2, even if all the other things were the same. QBs make the most money in the NFL and now in college too because they impact a game the most.
Clemson Defense vs. Syracuse Offense: The Tigers defense caught more of Dabo’s ire after the GT game than in the other two contests. GT’s 90-yard drive was particularly painful to watch as GT converted multiple third downs to make it happen. Overall the defense did well to slow down GT’s potent rushing attack, but the perimeter defense was once again a weak spot as GT attacked with short and intermediate throws as well as screens just as Troy and LSU had done. Clemson’s corners and safeties simply have to ramp up their physicality. The difference between GT’s back line and Clemson’s was very palpable. Clemson lacks an enforcer in the back, though Ronan Hanafin has a chance to emerge as one.
Backup corner Branden Strozier got some action but had two terrible missed tackles when he was in perfect position to make a big play both times. Ashton Hampton had, in my opinion, his worst game as a Tiger. He notably got burned having his eyes in the wrong place for a big play that set up GT’s first touchdown. The worst thing someone can say about a football player is “you are being soft,” so hopefully that will light the necessary fire under this group’s backside to get them getting tougher against all the quick game and screen concepts that keep showing up with the opposition.
Syracuse is once again putting up impressive offensive numbers after having a big year with Kyle McCord last season. Now it is Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli throwing it all over the yard for the Orange. He’s averaging 357.3 yards per game with a 64% completion rate. Clemson has done a solid job against running backs this year, including GT star Jamal Haynes last week, and that will need to continue Saturday so that Syracuse has to pass exclusively to hope to move the ball.
My eye test said Will Heldt and Demonte Capehart were very good last week, and the PFF grades came out to back that up. Clemson desperately needs its highest paid defenders to start making some game changing plays. This is the perfect game for both Parker and Peter Woods to show why so many viewed them as sure-fire first round draft prospects. Thus far, TJ Parker has had a mostly quiet start to the season after having multiple monster plays the year before, namely strip sacks. Parker’s most memorable moment in 2025 is a bone-head penalty that extended a key LSU drive. Syracuse is going to open up their offense because that is what they do, and Clemson must affect the quarterback a lot more than they have to this point in the season.
Khalil Barnes being out has not helped the situation in the least. LSU certainly appeared to get more offensive traction once Barnes went out of the game, and his absence was sorely felt last week in Atlanta. Dabo acknowledged that the defense is expected to have some growing pains adjusting to the new system with Tom Allen, and we continue to monitor how Allen tries to adjust to what seems to be the book on attacking this Clemson team: Quick throws, misdirection, and making the corners and safeties have to tackle people. Clemson will keep seeing this type of thing until they show they can stop it.
Tennessee gave up some plays, yards, and points to the Orange in week 1, but they also created two turnovers and sacked Angeli 5 times. This was enough havoc to allow Tennessee’s potent offense to separate. Hopefully Allen can dial up something early to shake Angeli up like LSU was able to shake Cade up with that corner blitz early in that game. If not, it will be up to one of Clemson’s touted front seven to whip someone at the snap and get Angeli questioning his choices in life.
Sammy Brown was my GT game X factor and delivered a pretty strong performance, including a sack. TJ Parker is my choice this week for much the same reason Cade Klubnik is for the offense. It is time to earn that paycheck and make a million dollar play or two to help get this season turned around.
Special Teams: Nolan Hauser’s missed FG loomed very large when GT’s kicker was drilling that 55-yard game-winner. Jamal Anderson, Jr. had a terrible penalty that negated most of a good Bryant Wesco punt return, and no telling how things might have been different if Clemson had better field position still up 1 at that point in the game. Right now the margin of error is pretty darn small for the Tigers, so all of these things matter just a little bit more as a result. Maybe the biggest bright spot of all this season is the guy most folks were most worried about before it started: punter Jack Smith.
Overall: If you doubt this Clemson team, I don’t blame you. They haven’t done a whole lot to inspire confidence and I’ve seen a lot of 7-5 type prophecies since last weekend’s loss. The game certainly isn’t played on paper, but I actually think Clemson should match up better this week in terms of what the other team likes to do the most. Terrell, Hampton, and the other DBs need to show they can play some lockdown man coverage and the Clemson front seven needs to terrorize Angeli.
Syracuse runs a fast pace offense and got over 80 plays against Tennessee’s defense. That means Clemson’s offense has to be ready to go out of the gate and not take a quarter or more to figure out how to get a first down or score points. GT needed its hot start to keep its crowd juiced and game plan intact. Syracuse likewise has to think that getting a fast start will create a crisis situation on the Tiger sideline. Adam Randall should be featured in a major way, both running and in some passing situations. Bryant Wesco has back-to-back 100+ yard games and needs to let Syracuse know that playing straight man on him is a major mistake. If nothing else, I’m making the trip up for this game and by God the Tigers ain’t losing in front of me!
PREDICTION:
Clemson 38
Syracuse 24
