Friday night the Carrier Dome will host an ACC Conference match-up when the (2) Clemson Tigers travel north to play the Syracuse Orange in upstate New York. The contest is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 13th at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be seen via the ESPN Network. Vegas insiders have the Clemson Tigers as a -22.5 point favorite. As of this article, the game’s over/under is notched in at 55.
The Tigers come into this battle fresh off a 28-14 triumph over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in South Carolina. In that ACC clash, the Tigers clawed their way to a 28 point lead and let up a little bit in the final quarter. As a result, Wake Forest scored 14 points and brought underdog bettors a nice little surprise by game’s end.
The Syracuse Orange enter this contest after coming out on the winning end of a 27-24 hard fought battle against the Pitt Panthers. In that game, the Orange found themselves on the scoreboard in each quarter and put up just enough to secure the victory at home.
Syracuse will be looking for some revenge in this one. Last year, the Tigers absolutely demolished the Orange 54-0 in Death Valley en route to their first national championship.
(2) Clemson Tigers (6-0)
The Clemson Tigers are the defending national champions and they are currently ranked 2nd in the nation this year. Maybe their good luck is starting to take a turn for the worse. The Tigers got a scare in their 28-14 win over Wake Forest this past week when QB Kelly Bryant left the game with an ankle injury. As of now, he is listed as day to day, but Dabo Swinney did say he was walking around pretty good the next day.
Before Kelly Bryant’s exit, he hit 21 of 29 passes for 200 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Throughout his first six games, the greenhorn has completed 107 balls for over 1,250 yards with four scores and four interceptions. In addition to his arm, Bryant also has been electrifying with his feet. The dual-threat signal-caller has rushed for a team-high 401 yards on 91 carries with seven more trips to pay-dirt.
The Tiger’s rushing attack was effective against a good Wake Forest front seven. Consequently, they rushed for 190 yards with running back Travis Etienne leading the way. The senior tailback scampered for 67 yards and a touchdown against the Demon Deacons. Expect Clemson to run the ball a lot in this game, as they look to take pressure off of whoever is playing under center.
Seven different Tiger receivers caught at least two passes from whoever was throwing them the rock. Senior wideout Hunter Renfrow led this unit with six catches for 61 yards and three key third down conversions. While Clemson doesn’t have the most explosive passing game in the country, they do rank 64th recording 233 yards per game.
On defense, the Tigers are about as good as Division I football has to offer. First, they are 10th in the nation allowing only 264 yards per contest. They also are 17th against the pass (165.5), and 16th versus the run (98.8). More importantly, Clemson is holding opposing teams to 11 points a game which is good for 5th in the country.
Syracuse Orange (3-3)
The Syracuse Orange are in the midst of a decent bounce-back season heading into this game against the Clemson Tigers. Last week was just another reason to believe they could possibly pull the upset off against the reigning national champs.
In the Oranges’ 27-24 defeat of the Pitt Panthers, quarterback Eric Dungy performed well. In fact, Dungy is the reason why this club has rebounded so well in 2017. He tossed the ball around for 365 yards on 33 completions with two end zone strikes. He also ran the ball effectively, scrambling for another 48 yards and a score.
As the son of a former NFL football coach (Tony Dungy), Eric has been expected to be smart with the football. This season he has been just that. Overall, Dungy has tossed for over 1,800 yards with a 64 percent completion percentage. He also has nine touchdowns and only four interceptions. Don’t forget, Dungy uses his feet to do damage to defenses. Thus far, he has rushed for 325 yards and eight more trips to pay-dirt.
Two very good wide receivers are starting to make a name for themselves in Syracuse. Steve Ishmael and Ervin Phillips are potent, catching 108 passes for over 1,200 yards and five scores. Ishmael is especially dangerous, with 729 yards with three touchdowns.
Running back Donte Strickland is the Oranges’ leading rusher on the season. To date, he has rumbled for 220 yards on 79 carries with three touchdowns. Combined with Eric Dungy, the rushing attack is starting to give Syracuse some balance to their offense.
On defense, they have been decent as they come in ranked 44th in total yards allowed (357.7), and 70th against the pass (226.2). The front seven sits 45th in the nation and will face their biggest test of the season against the Clemson Tigers.
Prediction
This pick could be a little tricky as the Clemson Tigers keep on rolling over teams that are picked to hang with them. This game isn’t necessarily that, as the Orange are +22.5 home dogs heading into this conference match-up. Plus, it is unclear if starting quarterback Kelly Bryant will even be available for this game in the Carrier Dome.
One thing is for sure, Syracuse’s signal-caller will be out on the field and he’s pretty damn good. Dungy has done it with his arms and his legs so far and that is what the Orange will need this Friday. Clemson’s front seven is athletic and skilled and will put pressure on Dungy. The fact that he has the ability to get outside of the pocket and make plays running or passing is a huge asset.
I certainly don’t expect Eric Dungy to light up the scoreboard with 35 plus points but I do think he can find some ways to move the chains and avoid mistakes that will setback this offense. In doing so, he will have two great weapons to throw the ball too and that will be the difference. Take the Syracuse Orange to play admirably against the national champs and find a way to create enough on offense to cover the 22.5 points at home.
As for the over/under, I simply have not been able to figure the Cuse out over the last few years in the totals department. If Kelly Bryant plays and Eric Dungy is connecting with his wideouts, that 55 total could fall. But, with the Tigers stout defense and the unknown at the quarterback spot, it isn’t worth the risk.
Trends
The Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight overall.
The Tigers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven conference games.
The Over is 6-1 in the Tigers last seven road games.
The Orange are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games overall.
The Orange are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six home games.
The Under is 13-3 in the Orange last 16 overall games.
