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Syracuse lost two fumbles in its first four games of the 2023 season. It doubled that in the first 10 minutes against Clemson.

On the game’s second set of downs, Garrett Shrader saw no options downfield on a play-action, so he took off, as he often does. He shook away from multiple tackles for a 19-yard gain, until Justin Mascoll came in from behind to pop Shrader’s helmet backward and jar the ball loose. A scrum ensued, and Clemson came out with the football.

SU’s fourth offensive snap ended in a turnover and Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik capitalized with a touchdown three minutes later.

Entering the game, Shrader had the fourth-most quarterback scrambles in the country, per Pro Football Focus. After rushing 25 times against Purdue, head coach Dino Babers made it clear that he’d like Shrader not to have to depend on his legs in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

That reliance has yet to change and Shrader’s poor performance today reinforced that. In SU’s first ACC action on Saturday, Shrader’s rushing lanes were jammed and his receivers had “not much” separation, Babers said. Shrader finished with a 51.7% completion rate, lost two turnovers and fell victim to five sacks.

The Orange made mistakes in all three facets of the game, setting Clemson up for scoring chances in the 31-14 loss. SU’s (4-1, 0-1 ACC) most significant failures stemmed from Shrader and the offense. All three of Clemson’s (3-2, 1-2 ACC) first-half scoring drives came directly off Syracuse turnovers and the Tigers started with prime field position because of it. When it came time for a comeback, Syracuse possessed no discipline or energy.

“There are certain plays that you have to make to keep the momentum of a game going and we weren’t making those plays today,” Babers said. “We didn’t make them on offense, we didn’t make them on defense.”

Minutes after Shrader’s fumble, the Orange put the ball right back on the turf. It was a senseless error that swung the momentum heavily on SU’s third drive of the game, down 7-0.

Shrader pitched to LeQuint Allen Jr. in the shotgun, but his feed was high. When Allen Jr. went up to grab it near his facemask, the spiraling ball bounced off his hands and onto the turf. Xavier Thomas burst off the edge to pick it up in-stride, running through contact to the Syracuse 3-yard line.

It took just two plays for Clemson running back Will Shipley to put the Tigers up multiple scores. This was a free, back-breaking red zone possession that SU gifted the Tigers early on.

Syracuse held the best red zone scoring defense in the country entering Saturday. On nine opposing red zone opportunities, only four have ended in scores. Clemson completely bulldozed that narrative, punching in two touchdowns in the first quarter before finishing 3-for-4 on red zone trips. Two such scores were set up by SU giveaways.

“The turnovers absolutely killed us,” Shrader said.

In the second quarter, Syracuse’s defense started to splinter as well. Despite playing the run well, Klubnik torched the Orange secondary for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Yet, it wasn’t without some help from Syracuse penalties. They gave Klubnik multiple free plays on what would have been possession-ending events.

On a 3rd-and-13 from his own 48, Klubnik escaped the pocket with Marlowe Wax in close pursuit. As he neared the sideline, Wax pushed Klubnik as several yellow flags were brandished. Instead of gaining possession, SU endured three more minutes of defense until Leon Lowery got the stop on 4th-and-short in the red zone.

After a Clemson turnover on downs, the Orange marched down the field. But rather than punting on fourth down, they attempted a 57-yard field goal with Brady Denaburg. His attempt landed well-short of the uprights.

After the game, Babers said he’s seen Denaburg hit field goals from as far as 61 yards. When asked why he felt confident in sending Denaburg out in that situation, he answered “because he can make it.”

Clemson turned that field position into a four-play, 61-yard touchdown drive capitalized by a 47-yard touchdown bomb from Klubnik to Beaux Collins. The 6-foot-3 receiver executed a double move, leaving Syracuse cornerback Jeremiah Wilson on his knees. There wasn’t a defender in sight as Collins crossed the goal line.

That entire sequence started with the pointless penalty on 3rd-and-long. Without that costly mistake, SU wouldn’t have had as much ground to cover. That penalty, indirectly, led to SU’s ill-advised deep field goal attempt, which set Clemson up for their ensuing touchdown drive.

The first drive of the third quarter brought more mishaps. On 3rd-and-5, Klubnik heaved one down the sideline to Collins again. As Collins tracked the ball onto SU’s side of the field, Isaiah Johnson made contact with the big wideout a bit too early. Flags flew immediately. Instead of SU receiving the punt in decent field position, the Tigers drove down the field and added three more points to their lead.

“I think some of those penalties really shaped the game, but penalties are part of the game,” Babers said. “You have to learn to deal with that… Penalties will never be used as an excuse for us winning or losing football games.”

All afternoon, Syracuse’s defense played the Tigers tight near the line of scrimmage, holding an electric Clemson rushing attack to 3.6 yards per carry. The big plays were what really strained the Orange. Not only did they give up clutch chunk plays, but they let multiple turnover opportunities slip through their fingers (literally).

In Clemson’s own red zone, Wax missed a wide-open interception. Klubnik didn’t see Wax in the middle of the defense as he zipped it to a crosser to his right. Wax jumped the route perfectly, but the ball clunked off his heavy hands. There was nothing but open grass in front of him. Afterward, Wax slammed his hands to his helmet in frustration, knowing he might have just dropped six points for Syracuse.

“I just got to capitalize better,” Wax said postgame. “There’s nothing else to it. Could have changed the game.”

Neither side of the ball got going for Syracuse. The Orange totaled nine penalties for 92 yards and trailed the Tigers from the jump. By the game’s end, Clemson led SU in almost every major statistical category, from sacks to time of possession. And when it came time for Syracuse to fight its way back, the Orange didn’t have the time or discipline to do so.

The dagger came midway through the fourth quarter, when Shrader threw an interception into the outstretched hands of Jeremiah Trotter Jr., down two scores. The next play was a 32-yard touchdown run from Phil Mafah, who walked in for the score, effectively ending SU’s undefeated season.

In a game that could have catapulted the Orange into conference championship conversations, the result came down to execution.

“They played exactly how we thought they would,” Shrader said. “We were prepared, we knew everything we needed to, we just did not play well. I thought we beat ourselves more than they beat us today, especially on the offensive side.”

Published on September 30, 2023 at 3:59 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu