Syracuse pulls off an upset for the ages against Clemson after rain delay and Angeli injury

The Syracuse Orange football team opened its nine-game ACC schedule with a statement victory Saturday, defeating Clemson 34-21 at Memorial Stadium for its first-ever win at Death Valley.

The Orange jumped in front early, and despite weather delays and significant injuries, improved to 1-0 in conference play with a commanding performance. 

Head coach Fran Brown acknowledged the excitement of the win surrounding both the team and the school.

“I can’t wait to get back and see the community party and have a fun night,” Brown said. “I am excited to get back and go out to eat — maybe I can eat somewhere free tonight.” 

The biggest concern during the game came late in the third quarter, when starting quarterback Steve Angeli went down with a non-contact injury to his left leg. He left the field without putting weight on the leg and was later seen on crutches with a boot. There are no updates on his injury.

Even so, Syracuse had plenty of positives, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and within the wide receiver corps.

Defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson’s unit kept Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik off balance, while receiver Johntay Cook, Justus Ross-Simmons and Darrell Gill Jr. sparked the offense. 

The Tigers won the opening coin toss and elected to defer, giving the Orange the ball out of the gate.

Running back Yasin Willis, who was questionable entering the game, was able to suit up for Syracuse and made a big impact early, running for a 32-yard gain on the second play of the game. 

Two plays later, Angeli scrambled for an eight-yard gain and a first down, but stayed down briefly after the hit, forcing backup quarterback Rickie Collins into the game.

Angeli soon returned after being checked by medical staff, and capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ross-Simmons. 

“I have made that play a hundred times before, so when I saw the ball in the air and the defensive back’s back turned, I was like ‘Oh yeah, I got this,’” Ross-Simmons said.

Syracuse executed a surprise onside kick, recovered by kickoff specialist Jayden Oh.  

After the gutsy call, and another one on 4th and 2 in the middle of the drive, Syracuse extended their lead with a 23-yard field goal from kicker Tripp Woody to make it 10-0.

Clemson answered with a 38-yard touchdown from Klubnik to Bryant Wesco Jr. Memorial Stadium was rocking as Clemson gained momentum, but Syracuse responded with a 9-yard Will Nixon rush to go up 17-7. 

Angeli connected with Gill Jr. once more on a beautiful back shoulder ball in the corner of the endzone, pushing the Orange lead 24-7. Memorial Stadium was stunned, and the boo birds were out. 

After trading punts, Clemson finally marched down the field. After a taunting penalty from Syracuse deep in their own territory, the Tigers capitalized with a score of their own. Klubnik found Adam Randall in the back of the endzone to cut the deficit to 10 with 1:06 remaining, giving the Clemson faithful a little bit of life. Heading into halftime, Syracuse led Clemson 24-14.

Then, the clouds rolled in, and after a lightning strike was detected within eight miles of the stadium, the game entered a 96-minute delay, causing a significant portion of the Clemson fans to leave.

While most players stretched or paced during the delay, senior defensive back Devin Grant, who led the team on the day with ten tackles, took a nap. 

“I was doing some ankle mobility to make sure I didn’t get too relaxed, but to be honest I took a ten-minute nap just to get my energy back because it was hot,” said Grant.

No matter how players may have prepared, a weather delay of any kind adds a new layer to the game. But even after spending nearly two hours off the field, Syracuse opened the second half with a huge stop as they forced Clemson to punt.

Angeli, now wearing a knee brace, kept his foot on the gas as he connected with Johntay Cook for a 59-yard strike right up the middle of the field. Although the offense could not move the ball after that, Tripp Woody drilled his second field goal of the day to make it 27-14 Syracuse.

Clemson, now needing two touchdowns, got the ball back and was moving with efficiency. However, in the blink of an eye on their own 44, the Orange forced a turnover on downs, and Fran Brown was ecstatic, showing love to every defender on the Syracuse sideline after the pass breakup.

After trading punts once again, Syracuse got the ball back. 

Angeli’s night ended when he suffered his non-contact injury late in the third quarter. He stayed on the field for a long time in visible pain and eventually was helped to the sideline.

“It was hard seeing that, seeing a brother like that, we are not just teammates, we build bonds on this team and that is a brother to me now,” Collins said.

Collins entered the game and immediately threw an incomplete pass. As punter Jack Stonehouse trotted onto the field, Clemson fans got loud.

That optimism was short-lived. Freshman linebacker Antione Deslauriers forced a turnover, stripping the ball from Adam Randall and giving possession back to Syracuse.

Collins triple-clutched and connected with Ross-Simmons in the corner of the endzone for his second touchdown of the game, making it 34-14. 

“I mean, you got to be ready for your moment,” said Collins. “I got mine, and God gave me that. Coach Fran believes in me, to put me out there, so I am thankful.”

Clemson found themselves in Syracuse territory, but once again the Orange defense stepped up, as Braheem Long Jr. tackled Cade Klubnik short of the line to gain on fourth and 2 as the third quarter came to a close.

Clemson made it a 13-point game as Bryant Wesco Jr. hauled in a nine-yard score with nine minutes remaining. With 5:07 to go, freshman defensive back Davien Kerr put the icing on the cake as he high-pointed the football on 4th and 10, coming down with his first career interception.

A significant win for the entire city of Syracuse, as Brown just keeps on winning.

However, even with the win, Syracuse will have a lot of questions to answer as they prepare for their third home game of the season, and their second ACC matchup next Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome against the Duke Blue Devils.