Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

CLEMSON, S.C. — Fran Brown stood alone on the Memorial Field grass Saturday morning. For a moment, he looked up at the almost-endless rows of stone seats, which would soon hold over 80,000 rabid Clemson fans.

Before every game, Brown likes to be by himself and collect his thoughts. As he prepared for his first game as a head coach in Death Valley, he took time to reminisce how far he’s come in life. Basking in the Clemson sun, Brown looked for his wife Teara. He couldn’t find her.

Brown wanted to share the occasion with the woman he’s been with for 26 years. She’s been by his side every step of the way, and it was a chance to show her their progress. Brown often talks about his upbringing in Camden, New Jersey. He’s had to fight for everything he’s ever done. The 43-year-old likes to mention how he was forced to redo his senior year of high school because of his grades. It forced him to grow up.

Nearly three decades later, Brown could never have imagined where he’d end up. He said he almost got choked up thinking about facing the Tigers.

“I just want to do it the right way,” Brown said of coaching at Syracuse.

The task was daunting, but if Brown’s proved anything since becoming SU’s head coach, he takes everything head on. Saturday proved that as Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) took down Clemson (1-3, 0-2 ACC) 34-21 for its first-ever win in Death Valley. The Orange didn’t just beat the Tigers, they dismantled them. SU entered as 16.5-point underdogs and looked anything but that. Using a physical brand of football, it punched the Tigers in the mouth. Not even an over 90-minute rain delay or starting quarterback Steve Angeli getting knocked out of the game could stop SU.

“I’m still in awe right now, being able to come out here to Clemson and do that,” Brown said postgame.

The demons of collapses in 2018 and 2022 were exorcised. Seven years ago, the Orange led by 10 in the fourth quarter before falling apart. In their most recent trip to Death Valley, an 11-point halftime lead evaporated in a comeback orchestrated by then-backup quarterback Cade Klubnik.

In six games against Clemson since Syracuse upset the Tigers in 2017 at home, SU was outscored in the second half 94-28.

With Brown at the helm, there would be no second-half collapse. No matter how hard Mother Nature tried to throw a wrench in his plans.

Inklings of Clemson clawing back started to peak through toward the end of the first half. Klubnik’s touchdown pass to Adam Randall made it a 10-point game. Clemson was slated to get the ball back to start the third quarter. Then came the lightning.

At 2:08 p.m., a strike was detected within eight miles of the stadium, causing an initial 30-minute delay. Play didn’t resume until 3:44 p.m.

Unaware of how long the delay would be, Brown kept his group calm, according to freshman linebacker Antoine Deslauriers. He joked postgame that he wrestled 11 people, going 7-4, though got body slammed twice. Instead, Deslauriers said the coach dimmed the lights in the locker room.

For a moment, they closed their eyes together for a moment of zen. Devin Grant went a little further, keeping his eyes shut for 10 minutes. Deslauriers said the recovery was very individualized because “everyone’s bodies are different,” but the message from the top was consistent. Be ready when the break ends.

After everyone hydrated properly and stretched, then came a party atmosphere. Players blasted NBA Youngboy on the speakers, trying to stay hype.

“We was turning up in that locker,” said Grant, who recorded a team-high 10 tackles. “Coach did a really great job of putting everybody in that mode again.”

Brown lets his players be free. He can be a drill instructor sometimes, though he lets them express themselves. They follow his lead, and Brown wasn’t coming to Clemson just to hang around, he was coming to win.

That showed when Jadyn Oh pulled off a successful onside kick after Syracuse took a 7-0 lead, following an Angeli strike to Justus Ross-Simmons. Brown said special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield installed the play this week, and they waited for the right moment to use it. Brown played his joker card early, and it worked.

“When you’re playing a really good football team, you gotta put it all out there,” Brown said of the onside kick. “You gotta do everything you possibly can do to win.”

Angeli converted a fourth-and-2 to Johntay Cook on the ensuing drive — another risky move by Brown — which ended in a Tripp Woody field goal.

After Klubnik hit Bryant Wesco Jr. to cut SU’s lead to three, Clemson trailed by double digits the entire game. SU responded with two more touchdowns in the first half. The Orange went at Clemson’s elite defensive line, running the ball down its throat. On paper, what seemed like the biggest mismatch between Clemson and Syracuse was nullified.

Yasin Willis and Will Nixon combined for 114 of SU’s 124 total rushing yards in the first half. Peter Woods and T.J. Parker — both top-five projected picks in the 2026 NFL Draft — were rendered useless.

Clemson wouldn’t go lightly. Despite losses to No. 3 LSU and No. 18 Georgia Tech, it’s still one of the most premier programs in the country.

Up 13, Syracuse looked for the dagger. Angeli scrambled to his right and slipped, this time staying down for good after a first-quarter scare. Unable to put weight on his leg, he was carried off the field. Angeli was on crutches afterward, sporting a boot on his left foot.

“Steve was amazing. It seems like he won’t be here for a couple of weeks,” Brown said of Angeli, who finished 18-for-31 with 244 yards.

Despite Brown’s comments, Angeli’s injury seems more severe than he’s leading on. Without him, Rickie Collins is the next man up. When he came in, things could’ve easily gone south, especially due to his inexperience. His first snap was a false start on third-and-1. Then, an incompletion on his first attempt forced a punt.

However, on Clemson’s first play, Deslauriers forced a fumble to get SU the ball back. Collins hit Ross-Simmons to extend SU’s lead to 20. From there, the Orange’s defense sealed the deal.

Braheem Long Jr. stuffed Klubnik on a fourth and short. Davien Kerr picked off the quarterback a few drives later. Sandwiched in between was another Klubnik touchdown to Wesco with nine minutes left, but the signal caller was off rhythm all game. Syracuse put him under pressure with delayed blitzes. When he got rid of the ball, Syracuse was there to wrap up.

“Coming out in the second half, we knew we had to be dominant,” Grant said. “We came out as if it was 0-0. We don’t look at the scoreboard. We just got to dominate, keep doing our job.”

And boy did Syracuse dominate. It broke an already vulnerable Clemson team. Despite their previous shortcomings in Death Valley, the Orange saw a chance and took it. Once the clock struck zero, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney could be seen welling up on the sideline.

The tears told a big story. Typically they’d be flowing on Syracuse’s side. Now there’s no telling where the Orange will end up. Saturday’s triumph was truly program-defining.

Published on September 20, 2025 at 5:46 pm
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22