College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Syracuse 27, Clemson 24
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, October 13, 2017
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Jerry Magallane
Attendance: 42475

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- No. 2 Clemson lost its starting quarterback, its vaunted defense's air of invincibility and perhaps a chance for a second consecutive national championship Friday night as the Syracuse Orange stunned the Tigers 27-24 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game before 42,475 fans at the Carrier Dome.

Cole Murphy's 30-yard field goal with 9:41 remaining proved to be the difference as the Orange (4-3, 2-1) defeated a Top 10 team for the first time since a 50-42 win over No. 7 Virginia Tech in 2002.

The Tigers (6-1, 4-1), who had the longest winning streak in the nation at 11 games, throttled Syracuse 54-0 last year at home.

"I think Clemson is still going to play for the national championship, I really do," Orange coach Dino Babers said. "I think the biggest thing for our team is, if you believe it, it can happen. If we don't care who gets the credit, we can achieve."

Clemson lost starting quarterback Kelly Bryant in the second quarter with a concussion and a sore right ankle, and the Tigers' defense allowed more touchdowns in the first three quarters (three) than the previous six games combined (two).

"Obviously, we're very disappointed," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "A lot of pain in that locker room. But listen, this a story about Syracuse. They outplayed us, outcoached us, and I give them a lot of credit."

After Clemson botched a fake punt with a long incomplete pass by punter Will Spiers, Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey sealed the win with a key 15-yard completion to wide receiver Steve Ishmael on a third-and-11 play from the Orange 49-yard line. Then, on third-and-8 from the Clemson 34, Dungey rushed for 8 yards and a first down.

"Show of hands: Who thought we were going to win today?" Dungey asked the media after the game as one hand was raised. "Like I was saying (in the locker room), nobody believes in us except us, and that's fine. At the end of the day, this feels good."

Dungey, one of the nation's most dynamic quarterbacks, completed 20 of 32 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 61 yards against a Clemson defense that had allowed only 264.3 yards and 11.3 points per game.

"It's a heck of a win against us," Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said. "We're not an easy out, at any time. That quarterback, No. 2, he's a heck of a player and he got my respect tonight."

Bryant was 12 of 17 for 116 yards before his injury. Redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper completed 10 of 14 attempts for 88 yards.

Syracuse outgained Clemson 440-317 in large part because the Orange converted 8 of 19 third downs and the Tigers were 2 of 11. Clemson also committed 11 penalties for 119 yards.

"There's a lot we're going to talk about, a lot we've got to do, a lot of mistakes, a bunch of penalties, third downs we couldn't stop them and we couldn't stay on the field on third down," Swinney said. "We just didn't do the things you have to do to win games. That's my responsibility."

Cooper guided the Tigers to a game-tying field goal on their second possession of the second half. Cooper, who played in all six of Clemson's previous games and had attempted 14 passes, set up Alex Spence's 35-yard field goal with a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud on a third-and-16 play.

The Orange answered with Dungey's legs and arm. Dungey rushed for 45 yards after a quick pump fake and then teamed up with Ishmael for a 30-yard touchdown pass along the right sideline to give Syracuse a 24-17 lead.

That drive lasted 1:15.

Clemson scored even faster -- 56 seconds -- as running back Travis Etienne bolted through the right side of the line and scampered 52 yards untouched for the touchdown that evened the score at 24.

The Tigers had a chance to take the lead near the end of the third quarter, but Spence's 38-yard field goal attempt was wide left. He also missed a 35-yarder in the first quarter.

Bryant was injured late in the first half, when he was wrapped in a bear hug and tossed to the ground by Syracuse defensive tackle Chris Slayton. Bryant was escorted to the locker room before the half ended, limping on a sore right ankle that was initially hurt last week.

Clemson trailed 14-7 midway through the second quarter and Syracuse was marching down the field poised to score again.

In fact, the Orange did score on Dungey's 30-yard pass to Ishmael, but Ishmael was whistled for pushing off and the touchdown was called back.

On third-and-long from the Syracuse 45, Dungey dumped a pass to running back Dontae Strickland, who lunged forward to the 39 and the ball was stripped by safety Isaiah Simmons. Safety Tanner Muse scooped up the ball at the 37 and raced 63 yards to the end zone to knot the score at 14.

Syracuse bounced back with a 12-play drive that ended on the Clemson 4-yard line after Dungey had to leave the game for one play because of an injury and backup Zack Mahoney was hauled down for a 3-yard loss. Murphy nailed a 22-yard field goal to give the Orange a 17-14 advantage.

NOTES: Before Friday, Clemson had won 11 consecutive games on its opponent's home field, which was the third-best road streak in the country. ... The Orange are now 3-6 overall in games they have played against defending national champions since the AP poll was created in 1936. Before Friday, their last win over a defending national champ was against Michigan in 1998. ... Clemson entered Friday's game as one of only three teams averaging at least 230 yards rushing and passing (Ohio State and Oregon are the others).
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Clemson   Syracuse
Travis Etienne Player Dontae Strickland
5 Attempts 19
68 Yards 78
13.6 Avg Yards 4.1
1 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Receiving
Clemson   Syracuse
Hunter Renfrow Player Ervin Philips
5 Receptions 4
64 Yards 94
12.8 Avg Yards 23.5
0 Touchdowns 1
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Clemson 317 113 204 3 1 0 6.0 1
Syracuse 440 162 278 3 2 0 4.0 1