Game Notes From Clemson's 27-21 Win over Syracuse

No. 5 Clemson improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in ACC play with a 27-21 victory over No. 14 Syracuse on a historic day at Memorial Stadium.

No. 5 Clemson improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in ACC play with a 27-21 victory over No. 14 Syracuse on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. 

Here's what the Tigers accomplished with the win along with games notes:

WITH THE WIN…

Clemson extended the nation's longest active winning streak to 14 games.

Clemson’s 14-game winning streak now stands alone as the fourth-longest winning streak in Clemson history, trailing a 29-game winning streak from 2018-19, a 17-game winning streak from 2014-15 and a 15-game winning streak from 1947-49.

Clemson has now opened a season 8-0 for the ninth time in program history (1948, 1981, 2000, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019). Five of Clemson's seven most recent teams to start 8-0 went on to play for the national championship (1981, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019).

Clemson won its 38th consecutive home game to take sole possession of the longest home winning streak in ACC history. Clemson was previously tied with the 1992-2001 Florida State Seminoles (37). Note: Miami's FBS-record 58-game home winning streak from 1985-94 predated the Hurricanes' ACC membership.

Clemson extended its school record for both the longest home winning streak and longest home unbeaten streak in school history. It extended the nation’s longest active home winning streak. No member of Clemson’s roster has lost a home game at Clemson in their careers.

Clemson’s national-best 57-1 record at home in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014).

Clemson overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit for the first time since the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU (overcame an 11-point deficit in a 25-24 win). Clemson is now 13-27 under Dabo Swinney when trailing after three quarters.

Clemson trailed by 14 points in the second quarter. It was Clemson’s 16th time overcoming a deficit of 14 or more points in a win. It was Clemson’s seventh such game under Swinney.

Clemson overcame an 11-point halftime deficit in the victory, Clemson’s first victory after facing a halftime deficit since overcoming a 15-point halftime disadvantage in a 34-28 win against Boston College in 2020.

Clemson earned its 16th win when trailing at halftime and its 13th win when trailing after three quarters in the Swinney era.

Clemson is now 6-0 in ACC play and has won at least six regular season conference games for a 12th straight year to pull within two of the longest streak of six-plus-win conference seasons in ACC history (Florida State, 14 from 1992-2005). Clemson’s longest streak in school history prior to the current 12-year streak was three (1981-83).

Clemson improved to 9-2 all-time against Syracuse.

Clemson tied the 1919-27 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (38) for the 10th-longest home winning streak in FBS history. Those Irish teams under the guidance of College Football Hall of Famer Knute Rockne were a combined 78-7-3 at all venues in the seasons comprising that streak.

Clemson won its fifth straight game against Syracuse to surpass the longest streak by either team in series history (four by Clemson from 2013-16).

Clemson remains undefeated at home against Syracuse all-time (5-0).

Clemson improved to 6-1 at Death Valley all-time in games between teams with perfect records of 4-0 or better. Clemson earned one such win earlier in the year against NC State. Before this season, the last time Clemson had won two such games in a season was in 2018, when Clemson also defeated undefeated Syracuse and NC State teams at home.

Clemson beat a team with no losses for the fifth time this season. The 2022 squad joins national championship squads from 2016 (five) and 2018 (seven) as the only teams in school history to earn at least five wins against teams with no losses and no ties.

Clemson improved to 27-7 against AP Top 25 teams since 2015.

Clemson improved to 30-6 under Dabo Swinney in games in which the Tigers enter ranked lower in the AP Poll than they did in its previous contest. Clemson dropped from No. 4 to No. 5 in last week’s poll.

Clemson improved to 75-20-3 in 98 Homecoming games. Clemson is 45-4-2 on Homecoming since 1971.

Clemson improved to 47-2 in its last 49 games against ACC Atlantic Division teams, including games against typical Atlantic division foes in the division-free season in 2020.

Clemson has now won 103 of its last 104 games when holding teams under 23 points (dates to 2010).

Clemson has now won 35 of its last 42 one-possession games since 2011, the highest winning percentage in the country in one-score games in that span.

Clemson won despite a 4-1 deficit in the turnover margin. It was only Clemson’s third win under Dabo Swinney when -3 or worse in the margin all-time, joining a 2011 win against Wake Forest and a 2012 win against Duke.

GAME NOT

ES

Death Valley hosted its first matchup of two undefeated teams 6-0 or better in the facility's 81-year history.

The game represented only the fourth all-time meeting of two ACC teams 6-0 or better, joining the 1997 Florida State/North Carolina game, 2013 Florida State/Miami game and the first Clemson/Notre Dame game in 2020.

Clemson rushed a season-high 60 times for a season-high 293 yards.

The game represented Clemson’s 75th time rushing for 200 yards under Dabo Swinney. Clemson is now 74-1 when rushing for 200+ yards in his tenure.

Clemson recorded 27 first downs to Syracuse’s 17. Clemson now has a 121-2 record when totaling more first downs than its opponent since 2011 and has won its last 62 such contests.

Quarterback

Cade Klubnik

entered in the third quarter and helped engineer the comeback victory. He became the first backup quarterback to engineer a fourth-quarter comeback win for Clemson since 2018 when Chase Brice also accomplished the feat at home against Syracuse.

Running back

Will Shipley

rushed for a career-high 172 yards on a career-high 27 carries with two rushing touchdowns.

Including 53 kickoff return yards and 17 receiving yards,

Shipley

finished with 242 all-purpose yards, four more than his previous career high set last week at Florida State (238).

Shipley

recorded the eighth game of his career with multiple rushing touchdowns, tying Woodrow Dantzler for the third-most by a Clemson player since 2000.

The game was

Shipley’s

seventh 100-yard rushing game of his career and gives him back-to-back 100-yard games on the ground for the third time in his career. Clemson is now 60-2 when having a 100-yard rusher since 2011.

Shipley

opened the scoring on a one-yard touchdown run on Clemson’s opening possession. Clemson improved to 73-4 when scoring first since 2015.

The rushing touchdown was

Shipley’s

20th of his career. He reached 20 career rushing touchdowns in his 18th career game at Clemson, matching the pace of Clemson (and ACC) all-time rushing touchdown leader Travis Etienne (70), who scored his 20th career rushing touchdown in his 18th career game.

With the score, Clemson rushed for a touchdown in a 19th consecutive game. Since the start of the 2018 season, Clemson has scored at least one rushing touchdown in 62 of its 63 games, the most in the nation.

Running back

Phil Mafah

scored his second touchdown of the season on a one-yard touchdown run on fourth down in the fourth quarter.

Mafah

finished the game with a career-high 94 rushing yards on a career-high 18 carries.

Clemson retook the lead with 11:26 remaining in the second quarter on a 50-yard touchdown run by

Shipley

.

The 50-yard touchdown run was the longest scoring play of

Shipley’s

career and his second-longest run overall, just shy of a 53-yard non-scoring run at Wake Forest earlier this season.

Following Shipley’s



50-yard touchdown run,

Klubnik

connected with wide receiver

Joseph Ngata

for the two-point conversion. It was Clemson’s second two-point conversion of the season, joining DJ Uiagalelei’s successful conversion to Beaux Collins at Wake Forest.

Clemson recorded a season-high five sacks.

Clemson has now posted multiple sacks in five straight games for the first time since a nine-game streak last season.

Defensive tackle

Tyler Davis

recorded a career-high 2.0 sacks.

Davis

recorded his third sack of the season, chasing Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader out of bounds after pressure by

Bryan Bresee

.

Davis

added his second sack of the game in the third quarter.

On the ensuing play, linebacker

Trenton Simpson

and defensive end

Myles Murphy

split a sack to force a Syracuse punt.

Bresee

added his first full sack of the season on a third-down stop in the fourth quarter.

Defensive end

K.J. Henry

recorded his second sack of the season in the game’s final minutes.

Safety

R.J. Mickens

sealed the victory with Clemson’s only takeaway of the game, an interception on Syracuse’s final drive.

Defensive tackle

Ruke Orhorhoro

recorded a game-high two pass breakups, including one on a fourth-down stop on Syracuse’s opening possession.

Mickens’

interception was his second of the season and the fourth of his career.

Placekicker

B.T. Potter

converted two 44-yard field goals in the game.

Potter

added to his Clemson records for career field goals of 40 yards or more (32).

On his second field goal,

Potter

(68) passed Chandler Catanzaro (67 from 2010-13) for second in Clemson history for career field goals.

Potter

(2,542 yards on 68 career field goals) became the first player in school history to convert 2,500 yards of field goals.

Punter

Aidan Swanson

punted twice. Both punts exceeded 50 yards and were downed inside the Syracuse 20-yard line, including one that bounced out of bounds at the Syracuse four-yard line.

Antonio Williams

recorded a career-long 18-yard punt return in the third quarter.

Clemson’s streak of consecutive red zone scores to start the season ended at 36 in the second quarter. Clemson’s 36 consecutive red zone drives with a score this season were the program’s longest on record in the last 12 seasons.

Though Clemson gave up a defensive touchdown, Clemson did not surrender any points off of its other three turnovers. Clemson’s defense has only surrendered three points off turnovers through eight games this season.

The victory was only Clemson’s fifth by seven points or less during its ACC-record 38-game home winning streak (two against Syracuse, two against Boston College and one against Georgia Tech).

Clemson hosted the 15th matchup of AP Top 15 teams in Death Valley history. Clemson improved to 10-5 in those matchups and would be the Tigers seventh straight win in AP Top 15 games at home dating to Clemson's 2015 win against Notre Dame.

Clemson was ranked No. 5 in both polls and has been ranked in the Top 25 of at least one major poll in every all-time contest against Syracuse. Clemson has had a Top 5 ranking in eight of the teams' 10 all-time matchups.

Clemson faced a ranked Syracuse squad for the first time in series history.

Captains for the contest were offensive tackle

Jordan McFadden

, defensive end

Myles Murphy

, wide receiver

Joseph Ngata

and safety

Jalyn Phillips

.

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