Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A Tale of Two Oranges

Cuse.com

Families will be flocking to the dome on Friday night as the Syracuse Orange (3-3, 1-1) will face No.2 ranked and undefeated defending national champions the Clemson Tigers (6-0, 4-0) at 7:00 PM, kicking off Parent’s Weekend in Syracuse.

Clemson is looking to keep their perfect season alive with another ACC win this week. A victory against the Orange will put Clemson at 13 consecutive home games on the opponent’s home field, breaking Alabama’s record and giving the Tigers the second longest streak in the country behind Oklahoma.

The Orange are coming off of their first ACC win last weekend, overcoming the Pittsburgh Panthers in a close 27-24 win. While they were off to a slow start offensively, Syracuse was able to stretch their lead to eleven points early in the fourth quarter before the Panthers cut into the Orange. While it was close at the end, the Orange defense was able to hang on and keep Pittsburgh out of the end zone.

Syracuse goes into Friday’s game looking to beat Clemson for the first time since 1996, when they defeated the Tigers in the Gator Bowl 41-0. Clemson has gone on to win all four games since then and has beaten Syracuse by a total score of 156-88. Last year the Tigers served the Orange one of the worst losses in the school’s history with a shellacking 56-0. The Tigers would go on to finish their season 14-1 and claim their first national title since 1981.

To be a competitor in the game, Syracuse will have to bring their best. While previewing Clemson earlier in the week, coach Dino Babers said of their opponent, “They’re not only bigger and stronger, but they’re faster than us.” While Syracuse’s defense has been pretty effective this season, don’t expect that to bother Clemson, as their starting quarterback Kelly Bryant is expected to play after rolling his ankle last Saturday. Bryant currently leads the team in rushing and passing, averaging 209.8 passing yards and 66.8 rushing yards per game.

"And the big thing with Clemson is not necessary who's playing quarterback, it's the other 21 guys. It's the 10 guys on offense and those 11 guys on defense that happen to be fantastic football players as well, so they've got a good team regardless of who the quarterback is gonna be." Dino Babers on Kelly Bryant's injury during Wednesday's teleconference.

With 56 tackles in six games this season, many consider senior linebacker Parris Bennett to be the face of the Syracuse defense. Under second-year defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Brian Ward, the Orange have seen a lot more success than in previous seasons and go into Friday’s game looking to keep the score low in an effort to not repeat last year’s embarrassing loss. If Syracuse does manage to beat No. 2 Clemson, it will be the biggest upset in the school’s history since stunning No. 1 Nebraska 17-9 in 1984.

Syracuse vs. Clemson at 7:00. Countdown to Kickoff gets underway at 6:30, only on WAER 88.3 FM.