Syracuse final score against Clemson: Tigers come back to beat Orange, 27-23

Clemson and Syracuse fell in love again, while Orange had the Tigers on the ropes, but Clemson came back to take a 27-23 lead at the end of the fourth quarter and held on to win.

It was not a Friday night in the Carrier Dome, it was at Death Valley on a Saturday, but the only thing that remained constant: the starting quarterback of Clemson was eliminated.

Last year, the Tigers lost Kelly Bryant as a result of a concussion. This year they lost Bryant's replacement, Trevor Lawrence, following a head injury.

Lawrence took it late in the second quarter.

He was ruled out at halftime.

It was a big problem because, beyond the obvious reasons, Bryant left the squad before Clemson's match to retain his redshirt after playing in four games – the limit imposed by the NCAA rules. Lawrence was named the official starter and Bryant made the best decision for him. The confluence of the timing is horrible for the Tigers. And that forced Chase Brice, the team's third-ranked QB (if we include Bryant in the mix).

Babers will tell you that having a starter eliminated does not guarantee victory.

First of all, Clemson's defense is amazing, but also what Babers told SB Nation last year about the prospect of coping with a Clemson backup while trying to spark surprise.

"When he left the game, I was nervous," said Baber. "I did not think we had enough tape on the backup to know what he could do and what he could not do, and we know he's a good player because he plays Clemson. It was not a moment of relaxation for me. It was a stressful and stressful moment for me.

Clemson was obviously limited with rookie Brice in the game, and ran the ball to his credit. Last year, Syracuse was able to enjoy an unpretentious backup to limit the Tigers, and closed the game with a drive that gnawed at the last 6:10 of the game.

That went around, Clemson came back and Syracuse had two critical mistakes by his offensive line to paralyze his last effort to win the match.