After a much-needed bye week, Syracuse (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) heads south for a matchup with No. 3 Clemson (8-0, 5-0) in Death Valley on Saturday 3:30 p.m. The Tigers are coming off a 37-34 come-from-behind win over then-No. 12 Florida State on the road.

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.

All-time series: Clemson leads 3-1 and has won the last three meetings

Last time they played: The Orange put up a fight against the then-No. 1 Tigers in the Carrier Dome but lost 37-27. With Zack Mahoney at the helm, Syracuse stayed within one score until seven minutes left in the fourth quarter and recovered from going down 14-0 within the first two minutes of the game.

Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 105 yards and a score. Mahoney only threw for 80 yards, but the Orange gained 242 yards and three scores on the ground.

The Clemson report: Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said the Tigers have “no weaknesses” at his weekly press conference on Monday and repeated it four more times during the Atlantic Coast Conference teleconference on Wednesday. He asked for a slingshot and a rock to find a way to beat Clemson, referencing the biblical story of David and Goliath.

The Tigers rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense and 14th in total defense. Their offense averages a 26th best 36.6 points per game and is 17th in the country with 314 yards through the air per game.

“Their D-line: draft choices. Their linebackers: draft choices,” Babers said. “Their DBs can cover and they are over 6-foot in length and they are fast: draft choices.

“Offensively they have a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, outstanding wide receivers and a very veteran offensive line. And oh, yeah, the running back, he’s really, really good, too. … This is a complete football team.”

 

Courtesy of the ACC

 

How Syracuse beats Clemson: It’ll take almost a miracle — hence the slingshot and rock reference made by Babers. Syracuse has to play a perfect game and hope the Tigers slip up a few times. If Syracuse can get a few turnovers and its defense plays extremely well like it did against then-No. 17 Virginia Tech, maybe, just maybe, it’ll have a chance to come out on top in Death Valley. Clemson has turned the ball over 18 times this season.

“We’ll show up and see how we can do,” Babers said.

Stat to know: 3 — Clemson is the only team in the country with three wins over schools currently ranked in the top 20. The Tigers beat No. 5 Louisville, 42-36, No. 11 Auburn, 19-13, and No. 19 Florida State.

Player to watch: Deshaun Watson, quarterback, No. 4

Heisman hopeful Deshaun Watson is the leader of the Tigers. He can throw it, racking up an 11th best 22 passing touchdowns so far this year. He can run it, too, averaging more than 40 yards on the ground per contest. He was named one of five finalists to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the country’s top quarterback. He ranks in the top 25 in six different statistical categories this year.

Published on November 2, 2016 at 9:39 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus