Even in a loud environment several states away from home, the Clemson Tigers continue to take care of business away from home in ACC play, taking down Syracuse 18-6 at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday.
Even in a game that was filled with field goals and missed opportunities in the red zone, the similar game script of all of Clemson's away games was on display once again in upstate New York. Clemson couldn't cash in the end zone, but used the leg of junior Nolan Hauser to record four field goals on the day.
It's history for Hauser, tying a program record set by Greg Huegel, with 27 field goals so far this season. He's primed to shatter that record with three games remaining.
Head coach Dabo Swinney's group used its defense to run the game, forcing two turnovers off Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli to limit the red zone opportunities. The two plays were the biggest of the game, capped off by an interception in the end zone by Ashton Hampton at the 6:09 mark of the fourth quarter.
The other turnover came from West Georgia transfer Kourtney Kelly, poking the ball free from Angeli for edge rusher Jahiem Lawson to take it into the end zone on a 22-yard fumble return.
Clemson still produced 359 yards of offense in the win, having two plays of more than 50 yards in the first quarter to help kickstart the unit. There continued to be growth from true freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, who threw for 161 yards and an interception in the win.
Reynolds also added 58 rushing yards, including a 10-yard rush on a 3rd-and-8 to put the game truly on ice to give Clemson its fourth conference win of the season. All of them have come in the same way.
Syracuse went down swinging, scoring its only touchdown of the game with 3:12 remaining in the game. The Tigers limited Angeli to missing over 50% of his throws, throwing the ball 40 times in the contest.
Clemson still needs to win out, having two more games in conference play before hosting the South Carolina Gamecocks in the annual Palmetto Bowl at the end of the month. That would be the only shot of a College Football Playoff bid this season for Swinney.
The Tigers will be back in action at home this weekend, hosting the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. on the CW Network.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/clemson as How Clemson Football Kept ACC Championship Hopes Alive in Syracuse Win .
