Tait Reynolds shrugs off shoulder scare in Clemson win

Clemson already knew it was going to the Dome shorthanded. The only question Saturday morning was how much offense was left on the bus.

That's RB Gideon Davidson, WRs Tyler Brown and Gordon Sellars III, and both OL Harris Sewell and Elyjah Thurmon. None of the injured starters made the trip. RB Max Wilson and WRs Chase Byrd and Jaylen Brown-Wallace got called up to the travel roster, and the beat expected a lot of 2-tight-end looks with Bryant Wesco Jr. and TJ Moore taking just about every receiver snap. Syracuse, meanwhile, got QB Steve Angeli off the availability report after 3 straight weeks listed questionable.

Wesco ended up being the whole passing game. Clemson opened each of its first 2 drives with a big play, and the second was Reynolds launching one deep.

Then came the part where Clemson actually had to score. It didn't. Nolan Hauser kicked from 32 and 36 in the 1st quarter, and Syracuse kicker Tripp Woody doinked a 32-yarder before hitting from 46 to tie it 6-6 with 6:07 left in the half. Somewhere in there Reynolds hurt his left shoulder and went to the locker room, which is about the worst thing a team with 4 offensive starters already out can see.

He came back and found Wesco on the next drive for a 29-yard catch and run. Then Clemson broke out the double pass, Wesco throwing back across the field to Moore for 36 yards, and the Tigers had a fresh set at the Syracuse 8. Things fell apart right after that.

Back-to-back sacks, a shovel pass to TE Olsen Patt-Henry that went nowhere on 3rd and goal from the 16, and Hauser came on from 37 again. That made it 9-6 at the half and 3 red zone trips with 3 field goals to show for them. The right side of the offensive line got pushed around all day, and that's what happens when you're 2 starting linemen short.

Clemson was only in this game because the other offense was even worse. Angeli missed open guys all over the field, and Syracuse lost starting RG Jayden Mann to a leg injury in the 1st quarter.

The defense ended up providing the only touchdown Clemson scored all day. After Hauser hit from 54 in the 3rd quarter, his school-record 4th field goal of 50-plus this season, Kourtney Kelly sacked Angeli and forced a fumble that Jahiem Lawson scooped and returned 22 yards to make it 18-6. Clemson also wasted a trip to the 1-yard line by handing off to LB Sammy Brown at fullback, and he went down short. Lawson hit Angeli as he threw with 6:48 left, and the deflection landed with Ashton Hampton for an interception in the end zone.

Syracuse finally scored the game's only offensive touchdown with about 3 minutes left, and that made the finish tense. Reynolds took care of it with his legs, picking up first downs on the ground for the second straight week to run out the clock. He finished with 161 yards passing and 61 rushing. Clemson is 6-3, 4-2 in the ACC and bowl-eligible, and Dabo Swinney picked up his 118th career regular season conference win, passing Bobby Bowden's ACC record. Syracuse dropped to 4-5.

Postgame, the freshman had no interest in any talk about the shoulder.

Clemson needs that to be true. Christopher Vizzina is still working back from the elbow fracture he suffered in Week 2, and the receiver room is about 3 guys deep, so a Reynolds injury would leave this offense with almost nothing. Next up is Georgia Tech at Memorial Stadium for Senior Day, 12:30 p.m. ET on The CW. The thing to watch this week is whether Davidson, Brown or the 2 linemen get back, because the Tigers can't count on scoring with defense and a 54-yard field goal every Saturday.