Syracuse Football: Week 3 Clemson Tigers crystal ball predictions

Chris Queripel, Contributor (1-1)

Syracuse football heads into Week 3 on the heels of a disastrous 63-20 defeat against Maryland. There’s no way to tiptoe around last weeks game for the Orange. It was an ugly game on all fronts. The positive for ‘Cuse fans is that it’s only Week 2.

So there’s a lot of games left to play. However, they will face their toughest opponent when Clemson comes to the Loud House on Saturday. Head coach Dino Babers has a lot of adjustments to make but not a lot of time to make them before facing the No. 1 ranked Tigers.

Syracuse opens up as a 24 point underdog at home. All signs are pointing to a major blowout in favor of the visiting squad. But is there a major upset alert on the horizon? No.

Let’s go back to focus on Syracuse’s first two games. In Week 1 Syracuse defeated Liberty 24-0 on the road. In the end, the Orange got a win. However, 24 points against Liberty is nothing to write home about.

Syracuse displayed their weaknesses against the Flames, and Maryland brutally exploited those same weaknesses in the next game. Those same holes need fixing, so Clemson doesn’t embarrass the Orange in those facets this week.

My X-factor for Syracuse is their offensive line play.

Tommy DeVito has shown his flaws early this year, and much of it is due to inexperience. However, a large portion could be chalked up to the offensive line. The injury of center Sam Heckel has caused one significant hole upfront. This injury has forced veteran Airon Servais to take over the snapping duties. This change created a domino effect that created gaps in an inexperienced O-line. Carlos Veterello has to play now left tackle instead of right, which is his primary position. On top of the position swap, he has only started two games. For ‘Cuse to have any chance in the passing game, the O-line needs to work more cohesively as a unit.

Clemson has looked sharp as an overall squad in their first two games. They most recently knocked off No. 16 Texas A&M in a 24-10 victory. The Tigers defense is going to put a lot of pressure on ‘Cuse and force a few big mistakes. Look for the defensive playmakers to create turnovers in this game. Either way, the offense is still going to be the focal point.

My X-factor is Travis Etienne. The running back already has 313 yards from scrimmage this season and three touchdowns. He’s going to be an effective weapon that looks to carve up the ‘Cuse defense.

Saturday nights matchup will be the first football sellout in the Dome since 1998. Needless to say, the crowd will be electric. Hopefully, this will boost the Orange to a major upset win. However, I don’t see it happening. Clemson is No. 1 for a reason, and they’ve proven that already this season. Syracuse is still a work in progress and hasn’t looked sharp at all through the first two weeks. Clemson will put up a large number in this game and hold Syracuse to just a couple touchdowns.

My final prediction is a 45-17 road victory for Clemson.