CLEMSON, S.C. — No. 1 Clemson entered Saturday's game against Syracuse as a massive 48-point favorite. It was expected that the Tigers' backups might see as much action as stars Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne.
Clemson fans should have known it wasn't going to be that easy against Dino Babers' squad.
Syracuse had the ball trailing by six late in the third quarter, in front of a stunned crowd at Memorial Stadium, before the Tigers grabbed control of the game on a scoop-and-score by Andrew Booth.
The top-ranked Tigers (6-0) went on to a 47-21 win to remain unbeaten ahead of next week's home game against Boston College.
"It was a sloppy win but I'd rather have a sloppy win than an ugly loss any day of the week," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "It's not easy to win."
The score was not indicative of the stressful afternoon for the Tigers, as Clemson's offense struggled with consistency. Syracuse (1-5) averaged more yards per play than Clemson (5.6 to 5.4) and more yards per carry than the Tigers (4.7 to 4.0).
But Clemson's defense allowed the Tigers to overcome what was an uninspiring performance by the offense.
The Tigers forced four turnovers, including the scoop-and-score by Booth, to go along with three interceptions. Mike Jones Jr. nearly had a defensive touchdown of his own but was tackled inside the 5 to set up an Etienne 1-yard touchdown run. Nolan Turner and Jalyn Phillips also had interceptions for the Tigers.
Etienne finished with three rushing touchdowns, despite leaving the game early in the third quarter with what Swinney said after the game was cramps. He was in the locker room for nearly a quarter but still finished with 16 carries for 86 yards and three scores.
Lawrence was 27-of-43 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw an interception, which was returned by Garrett Williams for a touchdown.
"We're not entitled to roll the ball out there and win. Nobody's going to lay down for us," Tigers offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.
