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Facing a ferocious Clemson front that got heavy pressure on Garrett Shrader, Syracuse tried to take advantage of 1-on-1 matchups on the outside by throwing quick, vertical deep balls. With the Tigers playing a lot of press man coverage, they presented singular matchups on the outside, where receivers had height advantages throughout.

Shrader attempted seven passes of 20+ yards on Saturday — none were caught. He finished with a 39.6 passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus, as well as a 51.7% completion rate, two touchdowns and 176 passing yards in the 31-14 loss.

Clemson’s physical secondary kept the Syracuse receivers at bay, thwarting all their deep pass attempts. The Orange also dropped five passes, including multiple downfield. Umari Hatcher and Damien Alford both dropped two balls while Donovan Brown dropped a potential touchdown from Dan Villari on a trick play.

The simplistic air attack left the receivers without much separation, and they came up empty in clutch moments. It was a telling performance from a young Syracuse receiving core in their first taste of Atlantic Coast Conference action.

The worst drop was on Villari’s double pass in the first quarter. The linebackers bit immediately. After getting the screen from behind Shrader, he looked at an unmarked Brown streaking down the left sideline.

The throw was a bit short, but catchable. Brown had his eyes downfield before making the catch, and the ball hit off his hands before dropping to the ground.

“We got to go out and make plays,” Shrader said. “If we can’t do that at a high level and we turn the ball over the way we did, then I give us no chance to even compete.”

Hatcher did catch a deep ball down the left sideline later on, but he couldn’t get a foot down after extending to make the catch. On SU’s next drive, Alford let a ball bounce off his hands on a back-shoulder pass from Shrader that fell incomplete.

Clemson’s secondary is riddled with four and five-star recruits, while the Syracuse receiving corps lacks experience. The lights were a bit too bright for the youngsters, and it cost the Orange multiple big plays and scoring opportunities.

“I thought that some of the younger guys got nervous and they didn’t handle the stage,” said head coach Dino Babers said. “You don’t expect that to happen…they’ll do better next time.”

The game was won when…

Shrader’s pass intended for Alford hit Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. The Orange had their backs against the wall. Down 10 midway through the fourth, Shrader looked to pass downfield, which he’d struggled with all game.

In underneath coverage, Trotter Jr. read the quarterback’s eyes and jumped the route. He snagged it and slid to the turf for the Tigers’ first interception of the afternoon.

The next play was a 32-yard house call from Phil Mafah, which put the dagger in the Orange. Syracuse wasn’t competitive for most of this game, trailing by multiple scores. It had a chance to claw back in on this drive but gave the ball away instead.

Quote of the night: “Not much.”

When Babers was asked what he saw in terms of his receivers getting separation, he answered “not much.”

Catchable balls hit the turf consistently and separation was scarce, especially on the repetitious deep balls. Clemson isn’t just any other conference team, but that level of talent and physicality awaits these Syracuse receivers down the stretch.

The Orange risk a second-half collapse for the second straight season if they can’t move the ball downfield while losing the battle in the trenches. The size and athletic disparity are significant. Receivers need to win 1-on-1 matchups, and that didn’t happen on Saturday.

Stat to know: 92 yards

Syracuse conceded 92 yards in penalties against Clemson. Coming in, SU had given up the seventh-most yards per game to penalties (78.8). It outdid itself against the Tigers with nine penalties, yielding four first downs.

This isn’t new. Penalties and disciplined play have been a continuous issue throughout the Babers era. Last season, the Orange led the ACC in penalties with 111, which was 15 more than the next-closest team. Yet, they averaged significantly fewer penalty yards per game than they do in 2023.

Game ball: Cade Klubnik

Klubnik was surgical against SU’s stout defense. He trusted his line, stayed in the pocket and delivered strikes. Klubnik was smart and accurate with the ball, and the few times he did slip up, SU couldn’t capitalize. Both Marlowe Wax and Alijah Clark let interceptions slip through their fingers.

The second-year starter and former five-star recruit finished with 263 yards and two touchdowns through the air, helping Clemson cruise to a win over Syracuse.

Three final points:

Villari breaks out

The one bright spot in a stagnant Syracuse offense was Villari. The tight end made two massive catches totaling 65 yards and a touchdown, carrying two Clemson defenders with him as he dived across the goal line.

Villari was also involved in multiple trick plays. The former Michigan quarterback threw two passes, one of which was a potential touchdown. Ever since Oronde Gadsden II went down, Villari has ran more toutes and made the most of those opportunities on Saturday. He had the highest PFF grade on the team (76.7) against the Tigers.

Trounced in the trenches

Syracuse’s offensive line allowed 14 pressures, according to PFF, and Shrader only got six passes off on those dropbacks. He was sacked five times. None of the linemen earned a pass blocking grade above 67, and four were below 50.

This was somewhat expected as Clemson’s front dwarfs Syracuse’s, but the implications of this weren’t planned for. Syracuse threw desperation heaves down the sideline because that’s the only passing attack this line blocked well enough to support. Receivers and linemen failed to win 1-on-1 matchups, and SU paid the price.

Rush defense holds strong

The Orange allowed 126 rush yards and held Will Shipley to 61 on 3.4 yards per carry. Last season, Shipley wrecked SU’s defense for 172 yards and two touchdowns. This time around, the defensive front held strong against the Tigers’ electric rushing attack. The defense only missed three tackles on run plays and came up with 18 defensive stops, according to PFF.

Next up: North Carolina

Coming off its first loss of the season, Syracuse enters a brutal three-game road trip that includes two ranked opponents. This next month will determine SU’s chances of legitimately competing in the ACC. The Orange kick off the road stretch with No. 15 North Carolina next weekend, who is coming off a bye.

Published on October 1, 2023 at 7:02 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu