Film Review: Syracuse’s 3rd-down defense holds firm vs. Klubnik, Clemson
In Syracuse's upset road victory over Clemson, its defense held strong, limiting the Tigers to just 3-of-13 third down conversions. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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If you want to beat a program like Clemson in its own house, you can’t give an inch. On Saturday in Death Valley, Syracuse’s defense gave the Tigers little room to rumble — especially on third down.
The Orange held quarterback Cade Klubnik and Clemson’s offense to a measly 3-for-13 mark on third-down conversions. It tied the Tigers’ worst day of the season in executing third downs, matching No. 3 LSU’s performance in Week 1. Though he only took one sack, Klubnik was pressured by SU on 23-of-62 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus, which included repeatedly being under duress on third down.
Syracuse’s solid pass rush and its secondary’s blanket coverage forced tons of ill-advised third-down throws from Klubnik — who totaled 23 incompletions on 60 attempts — while its fundamentally sound tackling cleaned up every mess.
Saturday was one of SU’s best defensive days under second-year coordinator Elijah Robinson, with its third-down excellence helping pave the way to a 34-21 win.
“I see those guys on the defense, they’re just getting better and better every week,” SU head coach Fran Brown said after defeating the Tigers.
Here’s a film breakdown of three of Syracuse’s (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) most important third-down stops that led to its upset victory over Clemson (1-3, 0-2 ACC):
2nd quarter, 13:42 — Tremble tames the Tigers
Jamie Tremble has been an interesting discussion topic ever since Brown announced the tight end is doubling as Syracuse’s starting SAM linebacker. Here, Tremble shows his playmaking ability, ensuring Clemson didn’t consider going for it on fourth down.
From SU’s 46-yard line with the Orange ahead 17-7, the Tigers lined up in a single-back shotgun set with three receivers in a bunch formation to the right for this third-and-11. Robinson had Syracuse in its typical 4-2-5 defense, though Tremble and safety Braheem Long Jr. crept toward the line of scrimmage.
With six guys near the LOS, Tremble and Long backpedaled upon Klubnik’s snap, dropping into a cover 3 zone defense. Syracuse’s pass rush didn’t get home on the quarterback, and Klubnik had all day to make a decision. But SU’s zone alignment blanketed Clemson’s receivers in the back end, leaving Klubnik with no options to throw beyond the first-down sticks 11 yards away.
So Klubnik checked down to his running back, Adam Randall, who was instantly met by Tremble. Tremble drove Randall’s momentum backward and completely stopped him in his tracks, tackling him after a six-yard gain. There was open green grass behind Tremble, and his stop prevented Randall from taking off.
On Syracuse’s ensuing possession, quarterback Steve Angeli found receiver Darrell Gill Jr. for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Orange a 24-7 lead midway through the second.
2nd quarter, 7:55 — SU forces Klubnik into panic
The Orange forced the Tigers’ offense off the field on this play by making Klubnik run wildly to avoid a blind-side pass rush. Despite Klubnik’s hype as a top NFL prospect, Syracuse tested his pocket awareness Saturday, and here, it wasn’t very good. But it’s tough to blame the guy when a 6-foot-3, 278-pound Quante Gillians is running full steam toward him.
SU pinned Clemson back at its own 29-yard line for this third-and-6 snap. Klubnik lined up in an empty backfield with five receivers split left and right. The Orange showed a heavy blitz package, with seven players lined up across from Clemson’s offensive line. Once Klubnik clapped his hands, Long, Gary Bryant III and Antoine Deslauriers dropped back into SU’s second level. The front four kept rushing the passer. But the movement confused the left side of the Tigers’ line.
No one accounted for Gillians, who lined up on the edge across from Clemson left tackle Tristan Leigh. Leigh shifted inside to block Syracuse’s interior linemen, but that left an untouched Gillians charging straight at Klubnik. Klubnik turned his head to spot the blind-side pressure, and he spun in the backfield before scrambling toward the left sideline in panic.
Klubnik couldn’t find an open target with Syracuse’s spotless coverage downfield. All the while, SU defensive linemen Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff and David Omopariola ran behind the quarterback and cornerback Demetres Samuel Jr. positioned himself in front of Klubnik, sandwiching him. Samuel darted at the signal-caller and knocked him out of bounds, forcing Clemson to punt after Klubnik’s two-yard pickup.
3rd quarter, 8:44 — Bryant blows up the QB keeper
On this crucial third-and-1 play just inside the 50-yard line in SU territory, Bryant’s physicality echoed throughout Memorial Stadium after delivering an emphatic hit on Klubnik at the line of scrimmage. Syracuse’s 80.1 team tackling grade, which ranks third among ACC teams per PFF, presents itself well here.
The Tigers, with SU leading 27-14, were in the shotgun as Randall stood to Klubnik’s right in the backfield. SU played its traditional 4-2-5 defense. Just before Klubnik’s cadence, however, Syracuse nickel Devin Grant shifted from a pass-coverage position to charging forward to anticipate a snap. He timed it perfectly. Grant moved downhill with blazing speed as Klubnik faked a dive handoff to Randall and ran outside the left edge.
Klubnik was one-on-one with Grant. When the quarterback realized this matchup, his momentum halted. Klubnik tried to juke Grant to his left, but after the defensive back caused him to stumble forward, Bryant had already smelled blood in the water. He bolted down from his linebacker spot and sent Klubnik backward with a hit on his shoulder pads while using the crown of his helmet. It resulted in a zero-yard gain.
On the very next play, Clemson turned the ball over on downs, one of five times the Tigers failed a fourth-down conversion against Syracuse.
