CLEMSON, S.C. — One of college football’s most lively home crowds had to wait a while to truly prove it.

Through three quarters, Death Valley had enjoyed bursts of excitement but also spurts of displeasure. Sloppy turnovers for both Clemson and Syracuse came in succession and glimpses of opportunity eluded both just as quickly.

But it wasn’t until Cole Stoudt’s pass found Stanton Seckinger for a touchdown to break the game open that the Tigers fans had a real reason to roar. It was a game in which SU’s offense struggled and both teams had traded field goals back and forth, but Clemson’s (6-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast) breakthrough score sealed the No. 21 Tigers’ 16-6 victory over the Orange (3-5, 1-3) on Saturday night.

Syracuse braved the storm brought on by the 80,031 people crammed into Memorial Stadium and stood toe to toe with the Tigers for the better part of three quarters, but the defense’s back finally broke on the second play of the fourth quarter.

“We’re fighting,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said. “We’re going ‘mano-a-mano’ with these teams that have a little bit more talent than us right now and we’re going to get that better.”

From the northwest tunnel, the Orange watched tradition as its opponent rubbed Howard’s Rock and jogged down Memorial Stadium’s hill onto the field just before kickoff.

But that was all the gazing that Syracuse did. The defense instead stunned, at times even silencing, the Clemson crowd.

Cornerback Brandon Reddish killed a first-quarter Clemson drive with a pick. Linebacker Cameron Lynch flew through a gap for a tackle for loss on a third-and-1. And linebacker Dyshawn Davis stripped the ball from the hands of a falling Stoudt to set the Orange up at CU’s 25 with 1:12 left in the half.

“If we play defense like this the rest of the year, we’ll have a pretty good chance of beating some teams,” senior defensive end Robert Welsh said.

But Cole Murphy had to salvage that drive with a 50-yarder as the half ended. After forcing three Clemson turnovers, Syracuse only had a 6-3 halftime lead to show for it.

The crowd briefly turned on its home team by raining boos after a high snap and fumble took the Tigers out of field-goal range following a Prince-Tyson Gulley fumble in the third quarter.

The fans did so again after Stoudt committed Clemson’s fourth turnover — a lofted interception to SU’s Darius Kelly. But on the very next play they rejoiced as SU freshman quarterback AJ Long tossed a pick to defensive lineman Stephone Anthony.

Clemson’s offense promptly took the field and knotted the score, then took a 9-6 lead a possession later with 3:30 left in the third.

But at the end of the quarter, the Tigers pieced together its drive that culminated with the Stoudt-Seckinger connection on a wheel route. The Clemson tight end hauled in the game’s only touchdown near the left pylon with Lynch a step behind him.

“My eyes weren’t on my man,” Lynch said. “Just a concentration thing, really.”

Syracuse’s defense couldn’t hold off the Tigers forever. Three consecutive drives yielded 13 Clemson points — and with the way the Orange’s offense has struggled, 13 was plenty.

As has been the case for most of Syracuse’s season, the defense carried its weight and prolonged a game in which the offense couldn’t pull its own.

Still, Lynch responded to hearing about Long’s self-blaming with thumb-pointing of his own.

“It’s the same thing. We let up a touchdown,” Lynch said. “We could’ve kept them to fewer points. It’s hard to look my own defense in the eyes and the whole team.”

Upon scoring the game’s only touchdown, Seckinger threw his hands up and looked at the Tigers’ ecstatic fans that, through the ups and downs of the night, had their hands up as well.

They were on their way to storming their home field once more. And Syracuse became the latest visitor to be sucked lifeless in Death Valley.

“I apologize to the Syracuse faithful,” Shafer said. “We’re going to beat these teams eventually. We’re just 6, 7 inches away. We’re going to keep fighting until we get this thing right for our town.”

Published on October 25, 2014 at 10:34 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb