Life has officially returned to the Syracuse sideline. Coming off back-to-back wins over North Carolina and SMU, the Orange now welcome the Clemson Tigers to town. If Syracuse hopes to make it three in a row, one key unit will need to deliver another standout performance.
High expectations surrounded Clemson quarterback Christopher Vizzina entering the season, but an elbow injury against Georgia Southern in September forced true freshman Tait Reynolds into the starting role.
Reynolds has endured a fair
share of freshman growing pains, but last week offered a clear look at his true potential, particularly with his legs as a runner. In Clemson’s win over Florida State, Reynolds carried the ball 14 times for 85 yards (a stat line that includes lost yards from sacks) and put the game away with an explosive 79-yard touchdown dash late in the fourth quarter.
Clemson leaned heavily on its run game for the entire game in a 36-24 victory in Tallahassee, piling up 44 carries as the Tigers built momentum to reach 5-3 on the season. Now, as they head north to the JMA Wireless Dome it should be noted that there is no chance Dabo Swinney has forgotten last year’s home loss to Syracuse. With that in mind, Clemson will look to assert its dominance in the trenches once again on Saturday.
That’s why Syracuse’s interior defense must step up in a major way. The Orange did a phenomenal job containing dual-threat quarterback Kevin Jennings last weekend, which was one of the main reasons they were able to secure their first win over a ranked opponent since 2024.
Head coach Fran Brown will need that same defensive discipline on Saturday. If Nissi Ogbebor, Rashard Perry, Tunmise Adeleye, and the rest of the front line can penetrate early and win in the backfield, they can force Clemson into a one-dimensional game, making Reynolds beat them with his arm rather than his legs which is exactly what you want if you are a fan of the Orange.
But overall, the excitement is back surrounding this football program, and now the thought of possibly making a bowl game is officially on the table. I would expect the Dome to look a little more packed this upcoming weekend as opposed to how it looked the last one.
How do you think Syracuse can slow down Clemson offensively? Who are you expecting to have a big game?
