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CLEMSON, S.C. — Fran Brown looked to boxing when deciphering Syracuse’s odds against the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions. American boxer Terence Crawford took down Canelo Álvarez despite the Mexican native entering the ring as the betting favorite.

While the Orange walked into Death Valley with a better record than Clemson on Saturday, they were picked as the biggest underdogs since Brown took over the program. Brown can’t bet on college football — or his own team — anyway. But he enjoys the underdog role, even thinking of the hit song “Hate It or Love It” by The Game and 50 Cent. “Hate It or Love it, the underdog’s on top,” 50 Cent famously says.

“I’ve been the underdog my whole life,” Brown said Monday.

The Orange threw the first few punches and never looked back as they continued punching all game. Despite an over 90-minute weather delay and a significant injury to starting quarterback Steve Angeli in the third quarter, SU never trailed and led by as much as 20 points to secure its first-ever victory in Death Valley.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (3-1, 1-0 ACC) 34-21 win over Clemson (1-3, 0-2 ACC):

Controlling Clemson’s front

The Tigers entered the season on paper as a ferocious defense full of top NFL Draft picks. With Peter Woods on the interior and T.J. Parker off the edge, the pass rush was assumed to be a handful for any offensive line. Yet through Clemson’s first three games, the duo combined for just one sack. A matchup with the Orange had the Tigers salivating.

Syracuse’s offensive line has rotated multiple options thus far. Angeli’s health is often in jeopardy, with a five-sack day for Tennessee. Versus Clemson, SU nearly lost Angeli on the fourth play of the game. On a quarterback keeper, he moved to his right and went down with an apparent right leg injury. He quickly popped up, rejoining the huddle after one missed snap and throwing a touchdown pass two plays later to take the first lead.

The Orange’s first two drives were near picture-perfect for their offensive line. Angeli was rarely touched and despite multiple batted-down balls, he had plenty of time to find his weapons. Following a Clemson score, Angeli showcased a newfound ability to maneuver in the pocket and avoid the rush. He delivered a dime to Darrell Gill Jr. along the left sideline to move the sticks.

Angeli began to flat-out take a beating. Nearly every time he dropped back, he was put on the ground, even causing a review for targeting on a Clemson edge rusher. Parker got home with seconds to play in the first half to crumble Angeli. As Angeli found his stride in the second half, he suffered a non-contact injury and entered the medical tent. He couldn’t put any weight on his left leg. Collins entered and, following a forced turnover from SU’s defense, he delivered a strike to the left pylon, growing the lead to 20 points.

The Tigers recorded three sacks and brought pressure throughout the day. Syracuse’s offensive line, however, did its job to keep Angeli and Collins largely clean in the pocket. The injury to Angeli was simply a non-contact one.

Collins holds his ground

Angeli exited the game late in the third quarter once again. This time, he couldn’t bounce back up heroically. He barely made it into the medical tent, with additional help from Syracuse’s medical staff. Angeli was then seen on crutches, distraught, outside the medical tent, and then used the crutches to head into the locker room. He sported a boot on his left foot.

Backup quarterback Rickie Collins entered for the first time last week against Colgate, shaking off obvious jitters with an interception and a poor opening drive. He then settled in for much-needed experience. Angeli’s exit against Clemson put Collins into the fold once again. He immediately delivered.

Following an incompletion on his first attempt, Collins looked left and delivered a pass to Justus Ross-Simmons for a touchdown. The score gave Syracuse its biggest lead of the day and all but sealed the game with a quarter to play. As the Tigers fought back in the fourth quarter, Collins navigated a tight window throw on third down to move the sticks and burn more clock.

Collins didn’t do anything crazy. But he managed the game and preserved the lead. The future is uncertain at the quarterback position for the Orange. Though Collins held his own.

Key mistakes

In a road battle against a conference juggernaut, every play matters. The finest margins decide the final score, and SU made multiple mistakes to keep Clemson close even when it shouldn’t have been.

Following a gutsy onside kick recovery from the Orange, they failed to capitalize on a redzone trip and settled for three. On the Tigers’ first offensive drive, defensive backs Devin Grant and Davien Kerr had quarterback Cade Klubnik wrapped up in the backfield on third down. Klubnik, however, escaped and delivered a pass close to the sticks. Clemson scored on a deep touchdown a few plays later.

While Jadyn Oh miraculously executed the onside kick early, he shanked a kickoff out of bounds in the second quarter. SU made a defensive stop to erase Oh’s issue. The Orange’s defense was on the cusp of a goal-line stand following a big tackle from Braheem Long Jr. Though he celebrated excessively to cause a penalty and move the chains. Klubnik then found Adam Randall for a touchdown.

The game came down to the wire despite SU’s double-digit lead. Acting as the pessimist, the marginal mistakes possibly could’ve derailed a marquee victory.

Syracuse’s defense thrives

Syracuse’s tackling stood out Saturday as a key advantage. With Grant returning from injury, he moved into a role closer to the line of scrimmage, almost in the linebacker corps. He came up from his spot multiple times to fill big hits and stymie any breakout plays. In the first half, he led the Orange with five tackles and two for loss.

Though outside of Grant, the rest of SU held its own and made plays when needed. Syracuse’s defensive line has struggled throughout the season and again didn’t tally the numbers on paper to flip the game totally on its head. But it brought pressure to force Klubnik to release the ball quickly.

SU’s defensive line rotated a plethora of bodies to keep the rush fresh amid the southern heat. Chase Simmons, who made the move to tight end this offseason, appeared at defensive end plenty of times versus the Tigers. He was a mainstay on the edge last season.

Out of the delay, Dion “Tank” Wilson Jr. injured his lower leg on the second play from scrimmage. The injury thrust Chris Thomas into action on the interior as Randall was fed with rushes on the first four plays. Klubnik’s elusiveness forced multiple missed tackles from SU pass rushers. He even attempted 60 passes. But the unit overall made plays when needed. A forced fumble from Antoine Deslauriers capitalized the effort with a forced fumble, turning into a touchdown for the Orange to put the game out of reach despite a late comeback effort.

An interception from Kerr acted as the cherry on top.

Lightning delay

Just as Clemson was deep in Syracuse territory, a lightning warning appeared on the big screen at Memorial Stadium. It was the two-minute timeout at the end of the first half, but the Tigers and the Orange played out the rest of the half as the clouds drew closer and darker. Clemson scored to cut SU’s deficit to 10. Then came over 90 minutes of no football.

The fans exited and took refuge in Littlejohn Coliseum, the home of the Tigers’ basketball teams. Players came out for warmups at halftime but were ushered back inside. Continuous lightning forced the delay back further, and play didn’t resume until 3:45 p.m., when Clemson received the kickoff.

Momentum could’ve easily swung out of Syracuse’s possession in the delay. But the Orange stayed the course and held the Tigers scoreless for the first 21 minutes of the second half. Clemson scored on a nine-play drive for its first points of the half.

The Orange didn’t care how long they needed to wait. They didn’t care about the odds Vegas put out. And the injury to their starting quarterback set the stage for a next-man-up mentality. Syracuse came out on top.

Published on September 20, 2025 at 5:39 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky