Bring on the noise: Syracuse awaits No. 1 Clemson at Dome
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) >> Topranked Clemson plays its first road game Saturday night, and the Tigers have good reason to be wary.
The opponent is Syracuse, which has given the Tigers fits the past two times these teams have met and will have a packed and roaring Carrier Dome on its side.
“It’s always a good challenge to go on the road. It’s just different,” Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Last time the team went to Syracuse, I wasn’t on the team, but they beat us. So we’ll have some motivation going into the game.”
Lawrence debuted as the Clemson starter last year against Syracuse but was knocked out of the game in the second quarter after a helmet hit. The Orange nearly pulled off a monumental upset in Death Valley, leading by 10 points in the fourth quar
ter before backup Chase Brice executed a 94-yard drive capped by Travis Etienne’s short scoring run in the final minute of a 27-23 victory.
That Syracuse (1-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was the last team to defeat Clemson (2-0, 1-0) in the regular season — 27-24 two years ago in the Carrier Dome — will add to the intrigue of this key Atlantic Division matchup, as will the din in the Loud House from the homecoming crowd. The school announced Thursday that attendance will surpass 49,057 (capacity is 49,262) and will be the ninth football sellout in Dome history.
Syracuse is coming off a 43-point loss at Maryland that dropped the Orange out of the rankings. Lawrence, a 6-foot-6 preseason AP All-American, Etienne and all of Clemson’s other offensive weapons pose a tall task. The Tigers are averaging 38 points after convincing wins over Georgia Tech and then-No. 12 Texas A&M .
The national champions have won 17 straight to match the school record, and it’s the longest winning streak in the nation.
“We have to find a way to get a pass rush,” Orange coach Dino Babers said. “You’ve got to try to find a way to try to get some kind of pressure on him or it’s going to be a long day.”
Even with pressure, Lawrence usually has an answer.
“You really don’t get a chance unless he comes out of the pocket,” Babers said. “And when he comes out of the pocket, he’s athletic, he’s fast, and he might throw better on the move than he does in the pocket. He’s the real deal. I hope we can put pressure on him. I don’t know if it’s realistic, but we’ll try.”