No. 25 Clemson struggles on offense yet again but holds off Syracuse to improve to 4-2

Clemson wasn’t overly impressive Friday night but was good enough — barely — to earn a 17-14 win at Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse missed a 48-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 38 seconds remaining.

The Tigers put together a go-ahead drive in the final two minutes of the first half, converting a fake punt as former high school quarterback Will Spiers threw a perfect pass to tight end Davis Allen on fourth-and-5 from the Syracuse 41-yard line. Kobe Pace ran in for a 2-yard touchdown with just 9 seconds left on the clock for a 14-7 lead.

Syracuse got a 62-yard touchdown pass with 7:18 remaining to cut Clemson’s lead to 17-14 following a 40-yard field goal by B.T. Potter for the Tigers.

The Orange got the ball back with 4:30 to go and went on a 14-play, 63-yard drive. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Clemson 30, Syracuse coach Dino Babers elected to try a field goal that would have tied the game. Andre Szmyt's 48-yard attempt hooked left, giving Clemson the win.

Here are some takeaways:

Open date didn’t change anything

Clemson had a much-needed open date last week and it figured the Tigers’ offense would look better. But it was just more of the same.

Bad throws. Dropped passes on good throws. Blocking troubles. Inability to continue progress in the running game and thus failure to loosen up the defense. Pre-snap penalties. Even with an extra week to prepare, there was not much creativity from the offense.

The Tigers did take some chances on 50/50 passes. Joseph Ngata, the best wide receiver, had a terrific 19-yard TD catch early and then nothing for the rest of the half.

Clemson will lose at least once more

The Tigers are no longer in the AP Top 25 and they’ll likely fall out from the No. 25 spot in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll even after this victory. And the way things look now, it’s hard to believe Clemson will go undefeated the rest of the season.

The Tigers will have a much tougher game next week at Pitt (with a second straight long trip) and still have to play Wake Forest as well. Before the season began, neither of those seemed to be much of a threat. But things have certainly changed. At this rate, the rivalry game at South Carolina to end the regular season seems interesting.

Clemson's offensive line is still a mess

Clemson has been trying to find the right combination on its offensive line all season and that continues to be the case. Hunter Rayburn, who moved into the starting lineup at center last week, was unavailable.

Mason Trotter got his first start and was snapping the ball with a cast on a broken hand that had kept him out all season. Matt Bockhorst moved from center back to his more comfortable spot at guard. But the shuffling around on the line continued.

The only stable fixture in place is left tackle Jordan McFadden and he’s in a new spot from last year.

Sean Tucker is a Heisman favorite for Syracuse

Clemson came into the game as the most difficult defense in the ACC to run against, allowing only 2.7 yards per carry. Syracuse sophomore running back Sean Tucker torched the Tigers for 157 yards (7.1 per carry) and became the leading rusher in FBS. Tucker had 132 yards on just 12 carries in the first half.

He won’t face a better defense than Clemson the rest of the season.

This was a game, prime time on Friday night, that very well could be looked back on as what vaulted him toward the Heisman Trophy. He’s listed as a freshman (COVID-19 redshirt) and he’s just getting started.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson wins after Syracuse misses late field goal