Top-ranked Clemson is expected to continue its destruction of the rest of the ACC this Saturday when a wounded Syracuse team visits Death Valley for a Noon kickoff on the ACC Network. The Tigers are favored by 46 points against the Orange who are coming off a home loss to Liberty and are 1-4. Clemson is 5-0 and just put 73 points on Georgia Tech. The Tigers are averaging 48 points per game and yielding 12, and they have two of the Heisman Trophy frontrunners in quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne. Despite how the matchup looks on paper, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney tried to emit a cautious tone about Syracuse, mindful of the 2017 loss up there and the 2018 close call down here.
Some of Swinney’s key comments
- QB Taisun Phommachanh is doing well after his hand surgery, a little sore yesterday, and QB D.J. Uiagalelei is better and he expects him to be able to play Saturday.
- They are a developmental program and they take players and develop them to have them ready to step in to replace departing players.
- With the Syracuse offense, they ball is going down the field deep, and QB Rex Culpepper is a guy who can throw it. Strength of team is the receivers. One of the biggest improvement on team has been secondary and how they play the ball.
- Travis Etienne gives great effort in everything he does, team’s hardest worker, that permeates thru the team, scouts who watch him on Saturday need to watch him in practice, 100% effort every play, every drill.
Dabo Swinney previews Syracuse
