Syracuse Football Aims To Learn From Last Year’s Mistakes Against Clemson

Sam Reis | @SamuelReisTV

Last season when these teams met, undefeated Syracuse had a golden opportunity to take down undefeated Clemson in Death Valley. Through the first 43 minutes, S-U was in control leading 21-10. That was until one play completely shifted the momentum. 

That late hit by Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff gifted Clemson a first down to extend the drive. The Tigers capitalized with a touchdown and scored 17 points in the final frame, handing the Orange their first loss of the campaign. After that, it all went downhill for S-U. Syracuse lost six of its final seven games, turning a 6-0 start into a 7-6 finish. Fast forward to now and the Orange again find themselves undefeated heading into this season’s bout with the Tigers. With that being said, penalties have still been an issue for the ‘Cuse. After being the most penalized team in college football last year, Syracuse is averaging nearly 8 infractions per game in 2023. Junior Alijah Clark says that staying disciplined against Clemson is a point of emphasis.

“Learning from mistakes,” said Clark in response to what Syracuse can take away from last year’s loss to Clemson. “Everybody makes mistakes but when you do it twice it becomes a habit. Learning from last year, we know penalties killed us. So going into this week we know we can’t have penalties. We need to have a clean game.”

It’s safe to say that last year’s heartbreak against the Tigers served as a lesson for returning Orange players. Cleaning up those penalties this time around could very well be a key to a Syracuse victory under the bright lights of the Dome.