Clemson loss at Syracuse not the end of the world for Tigers

The No. 2 Clemson Tigers suffered their first loss of the season Friday night on the road, but it’s not the end of the world.

Up to this point, the defending national champion Clemson Tigers were considered the definitive second-best team in the country behind the program they defeated for that title last season, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Matter of fact, some were pining for Dabo Swinney’s team to be No. 1 in the nation with their ferocious defense and prolific offense, as quarterback Kelly Bryant has filled in rather effectively for the departed Deshaun Watson.

Well after Friday night, the Tigers will no longer be ranked No. 2 and they most certainly will not have anyone claiming they should be on the top of the mountain altogether. They walked into what was an obvious trap game Friday night against the Syracuse Orange and, well, that trap closed on them as the Orange, at 3-3 on the season, walked away at home with the 27-24 win.

Whatever could have gone wrong for Clemson on Friday night, did. Bryant — who really should have never started this game in the first place — was knocked out of the contest near the end of the first half with a concussion and never returned. The defense, considered one of the best in the country if not the best, had probably the worst outing it will suffer through all year as they allowed the Syracuse offense to amass 440 total yards. And the team as a whole just played undisciplined football, racking up 11 penalties in the loss for 119 yards.

It was, in fact, a miserable night for Swinney and the defending champs. This, of course, will lead to Tigers fans believing the sky is falling and all hope for a third-straight trip to the College Football Playoff as the champions of the ACC is lost.

That’s simply not the case, however, as this Clemson team will still have the opportunity to gain some ground back in the national title race. They get a week off to regroup from this setback before they face Georgia Tech on Oct. 28, a Yellow Jackets team that could very well be ranked if they pull off the upset of Miami on Saturday. The week after that, on Nov. 4, they face off against their only real threat in the ACC Atlantic Division in the North Carolina State Wolfpack, and they finish the regular season against a South Carolina team that could be 8-3 by the time they see one another for their annual end of season get together.

Then, you have to mention the ACC Championship Game which will more than likely be against a pretty highly-ranked team.

Clemson has some soul-searching to do after this loss, much like they were tasked with as they walked off the field at home following the loss to Pitt — which happened even later in the year —  last season, but all is not lost. The champs aren’t looked upon as favorably right now as they were coming into Friday but there’s still some time left to gain all that ground back. The concussion suffered by Bryant does hamper this offense a bit but both Zerrick Cooper and Hunter Johnson are more than capable of taking the reins for the time being, and the upcoming bye week will help. As for the defense and the way they played on Friday night … well, you can bet Brent Venables, one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, will get their act together as swiftly as he can.

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The margin of error for the Tigers shrunk significantly Friday night in the Carrier Dome, but it’s by no means the end of the world. This is still one of the most overall talented squads in the nation, which is coached by one of the best head coaches in the game. Don’t count the Tigers out of the race just yet, and breathe easy, Clemson fans.