Syracuse (4-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) beat the No. 2 team in the country for the first time in program history, as it took down Clemson (6-1, 2-1), 27-24, on Friday night in the Carrier Dome. The Orange scored first and never trailed in the upset win.

Here are superlatives from the game.

The Big Moment: Kelly Bryant gets knocked out

Clemson starting quarterback Bryant presented a challenge that Syracuse hadn’t faced all year. He was a dual-threat and was one of the better playmakers in the conference. He showed that much on Clemson’s first drive.

But a sack right before halftime left him motionless on the ground for awhile. He never returned for the second half as backup quarterback Zerrick Cooper came in. Cooper made a few plays, but the Tigers offense took a major step back when he was in.

Stud: Eric Dungey

Dungey missed most of last year’s matchup against Clemson after being knocked out of the game in the first quarter. He never even started the game two years ago after he was already out with an existing injury. On Friday night, the quarterback was as sharp as he’s ever been in an Orange uniform.

The third-year starter has been sometimes criticized for his style of play. But that style is exactly what’s made him a top threat in the ACC. It was obvious when he battled back from four first-quarter sacks. Or when early in the game, he took a third down snap without his left shoe on because it had come undone.

On a third-and-eight with less than two minutes left, Dungey ran up the gut, twisted his body backward and stuck the ball behind his head toward the first down marker. Getting the first down put away the game. The junior marksman finished 20-for-32 with 278 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while adding 61 yards on the ground.

Dud: Clemson’s rushing game

The strength of the Tigers was supposed to be its vaunted rushing attack. The unit entered the game ranked 20th in the country with 237 yards per game. Five different players, including starting quarterback Kelly Bryant, had more than 100 rushing yards on the season.

Clemson flexed its muscles on the ground early in the game. Its third play of the contest was a 37-yard touchdown where Tavien Feaster went in untouched. CU had another long run in the third quarter, a 52-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne. But in total, Clemson only had 113 rushing yards, meaning it only got 24 yards excluding the two touchdowns. SU struggled against North Carolina State earlier this season when the Wolfpack controlled time of possession with a solid ground attack. Clemson couldn’t do the same.

Highlight: Steve Ishmael’s third-quarter touchdown grab

The Orange went into the half with a three-point lead, but Clemson tied it up midway through the third quarter with a field goal of its own. Syracuse made sure to get those points back as quickly as possible. Four plays, including a 45-yard scramble up the right sideline by Dungey, got the Orange to the Clemson 30. With one-on-one coverage on the outside, Dungey threw the ball into the right corner of the end zone, right by the pylon. When Dungey let the ball go, Ishmael had maybe a shoulder in front of the cornerback guarding him, near the 10-yard line. When Ishmael caught it, he was in the end zone for a touchdown.

Lowlight: Ishmael’s touchdown called back for offensive pass interference.

Syracuse was moving down the field early in the second quarter and getting good chunk yardage through the air, as three straight passes each went for completions of more than 10 yards. From the Clemson 30-yard line, Dungey decided to take a deep shot toward Ishmael along the right sideline. Ishmael caught it about three yards out, then twisted his body and fought into the end zone. But the touchdown was negated because of a pass interference call, on a flag that was thrown by the referee standing behind the play in the middle of the end zone. A video of the play on Twitter seems to show that Ishmael didn’t full push off on that play.

 

 

Published on October 13, 2017 at 10:40 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer