By Will Vandervort.
Each week The Clemson Insider takes a look back at what the No. 20 Clemson Tigers did right and what they did wrong in their 16-6 victory over Syracuse on Saturday in Death Valley.
Quarterback: D
Cole Stoudt threw two interceptions and fumbled once, but again, when it mattered most, the senior made some throws and made some plays with his legs as well. Stoudt finished the game 24 of 35 for 209 yards and touchdown, a 19-yard pass to tight end Stanton Seckinger. But his first interception led to a Syracuse field goal as did his second-quarter fumble that allowed the Orange to go into the locker room with a 6-3 lead. It was the first time all year Clemson trailed at the break. Stoudt bounced back in the fourth quarter to throw the TD pass to Seckinger and later had two carries for 18 yards in Clemson’s game-ending drive that consumed the last eight minutes and 17 seconds.
Running back: B
After C.J. Davidson’s second quarter fumble, we did not see the Daniel High School product the rest of the game, though he was running the ball effectively at the time – 9 carries for 39 yards. In comes Wayne Gallman in the second half and the freshman rushes for 84 of his 101 yards in the last 30 minutes. He carried the ball 22 times in the second half. The Tigers finished the game rushing for 166 yards against a Syracuse defense that was allowing just 120 yards a game coming in.
Wide receivers & tight ends: B
Eight different receivers caught a pass and no one dropped a ball. Artavis Scott again led the way with seven catches for 59 yards, while Mike Williams hauled in five passes for 72 yards. Seckinger got the lone touchdown – a 19-yard catch from Stoudt. Jay Jay McCullough also had a good gain.
Offensive line: C
The offensive line has now gone 10 quarters with only two sacks allowed, including only one in Saturday’s game. Not bad for an offensive line that was missing its starting left tackle to a suspension and then an injury to center Ryan Norton forced the team to move Reid Webster to center. He also played left guard and left tackle in the game. There were no penalties on the offensive line and the running game rushed for 166 yards. But, Ryan Norton again snapped the ball over the head of Stoudt at quarterback, which cost Clemson three points, plus on third-and-one late in the second a Syracuse’s man beat the guard off the block and threw Davidson in the back filed for loss.
Defensive line: A
Clemson finished the game with four sacks—two from the defensive line—12 tackles for loss as they helped hold the Orange to 88 rushing yards. Defensive end Tavaris Barnes had three tackles and a sack for the second straight week. BC averaged just 2.6 yards per carry on the ground. Josh Watson deflected two passes.
Linebackers: A
Stephone Anthony made the play of the game when he plucked an A.J. Long pass out of the air and returned it eight yards to midfield. That set up a Clemson field goal that allowed the Tigers to go on and tie the game at six. Anthony finished the game with six tackles, one sack, one caused fumble and his interception. Tony Steward had five tackles, including two tackles for loss.
Secondary: A
Strong safety Robert Smith had an interception and led the Tigers with 8 tackles overall. Corner Mackensie Alexander recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Free safety has six tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. The secondary helped hold quarterback A.J. Long to 12 of 27 passing for 82 yards.
Special Teams: B
Ammon Lakip was 3-for-3 on field goals, including kicks of 41 and 38 yards, while punter Bradley Pinion had six punts for 41.2 yard average. He had a long of 52 yards and record three punts inside the 20-yard line.
Coaching: C
The offense sputtered for much of the night and turned the ball over four times overall. The play calling was suspect at times, but offensive coordinator Chad Morris was playing with only 14 players all night. All the shuffling on the offensive line with suspensions and injuries did not help. Clemson did finish the game with another impressive fourth-quarter drive, the third straight week the offense had a big-time drive in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. Once again, Brent Venables called a great game as his defense held Syracuse to 170 total yards, including 88 on the ground. The Orange was three of 16 on third down and was sacked four times after allowing just five sacks all season prior to Saturday night.