Clemson was clinging to a five-point lead and faced third-down-and-eight from their own 27-yard line with 2:52 to go in the game. Syracuse had just used their last timeout, so the Tigers had an idea what the Orange might do defensively in hopes of getting the ball back.
“We felt like quarterback draw was the right call,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said after the game.
They were right.
Quarterback Tait Reynolds executed the smoke draw perfectly, as he carried the ball 10 yards for a first down. The run all but sealed the Tigers’ 18-13 victory on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
“We thought they would really play coverage, so we kind of went with a lead draw and (Reynolds) did a really good job of setting the lanes,” Swinney said. “He was patient. He let it develop and then he went and hit it.”
Though his 10-yard run paved the way to a Clemson victory, Reynolds’ 13-yard run after the two-minute timeout ended the game and sealed the Tigers’ 12th road victory since November of 2023.
Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) is now 12-2 in true road games during that span.
Reynolds finished the afternoon with 61 yards on 15 carries, counting three sacks that accounted for 17 negative yards.
“He is a load,” Swinney said. “This kid is a big strong runner. And he has gotten confident. He has gotten more and more confident.”
Reynolds’ confidence also showed off in the passing game where he completed 17 of 28 passes for 161 yards. His number could have been more had it not been for a couple of more drops from wide receivers T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco.
The final first down of the game was another good call by offensive coordinator Chad Morris, as he called a read play, which Reynolds read correctly and rumbled 13 yards with 1:52 to go.
With no timeouts, Syracuse (4-5, 2-5 ACC) could not stop the clock.
“It was kind of an either or, and he made a good read,” Swinney said. “We talked about how he missed some reads early in the season, but that is growth. That was a critical play by our quarterback.
“The smoke draw was a run all the way, but the last one was Tait making the right decision, and again, that just showed his growth and maturity. This kid is going to keep getting better and better.”
—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications