It was a tough afternoon for Syracuse Orange football against Clemson last Saturday. Despite the loss, there were still a handful of positives on both sides of the ball. Below is the latest edition of the Orange’s third-down and red zone efficiency against the Tigers.
Syracuse’s offense tallied 14 points but was actually more efficient on third downs than when it dropped 29 on Army. Garrett Shrader and LeQuint Allen excelled on the ground in short-distance situations, leading the Orange to an overall 9-for-17 on third-down conversions. The killer on defense was penalties. Two pass interference calls, a personal foul and an offsides gave Clemson four first downs while its back was against the wall.