Cade Klubnik sparks Clemson to comeback win over Syracuse

CLEMSON — DJ Uiagalelei had played great for Clemson all season entering Saturday’s matchup with Syracuse, but with the junior struggling on Saturday, Dabo Swinney didn’t hesitate to go to the bench.

Swinney called upon freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik with the Tigers trailing 21-10 in the second half and Klubnik delivered, leading Clemson to a 27-21 win.

Clemson played with a different energy with Klubnik in the game and most importantly protected the football after Uiagalelei threw two interceptions and fumbled in three quarters.

Here are some other quick takeaways from Clemson’s come-from-behind win:

Clemson defense deserves credit

Syracuse had its way with Clemson’s defense at times in the first half, but Wes Goodwin made some good adjustments and the Tigers pitched a shutout in the second half.

Clemson struggled in particular against the quarterback run with Garrett Shrader in the first half. Bryan Bresee, KJ Henry and company kept that from being a problem the final two quarters.

Clemson’s defensive line played up to its potential late after a slow start.

Tigers have two stud running backs

Will Shipley gets a lot of attention and rightfully so, but the Tigers have another stud running back as well.

Phil Mafah rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers and also had 10 receiving yards. Mafah and Will Shipley both finished with over 100 total yards.

Shipley had 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with three catches for 17 yards.

Syracuse deserves credit

There were a lot of questions about how good Syracuse really is going into the game as the Orange had not played a Power 5 team on the road yet.

Despite the loss, Syracuse showed that it is for real, playing Clemson tough for four quarters and nearly pulling off the upset.