Syracuse had a chance to upset Clemson on the road Saturday, but head coach Dino Babers put his team in a brutal position with shaky clock management.
After holding the Tigers to a field goal that gave Clemson a 27-21 lead with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter, the Orange got the ball back with a chance to register the upset. However, that opportunity was minimized when Babers allowed 24 seconds to be run off the clock before calling timeout.
Babers was roundly criticized on Twitter by college football journalists. That included Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, who also quoted play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough. “Dino Babers wasted 20 or 30 seconds deciding whether to take a timeout. Sean McDonough: ‘That's a whiff right there.' ”
Babers has been victimized by clock-management issues in the past. His gaffe against Clemson caused Tim Murray of VSiN to question what he had seen. “Wait… did Dino Babers really let 24 seconds just roll off the clock before calling a timeout?”
After the troubling coaching move, Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader's late pass was intercepted at the Clemson 15-yard line. That turnover clinched the game for the Tigers.
Clemson had a notable comeback in the game, as the Tigers trailed 21-10 at the start of the fourth quarter. Clemson's Phil Mafah scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a 15-play, 80-yard drive and Will Shipley followed with a 50-yard scoring run. Placekicker B.T. Potter closed out the scoring with a 44-yard field goal.
Shipley had a powerful game for the Tigers, carrying the ball 27 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
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