On the Chase

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CLEMSON -- This team can win with Chase Brice.

The coaches spent the offseason saying it.

But we're guessing they weren't envisioning him having to do it in the fifth game of 2018.

And for the longest time Saturday on a positively nerve-wracking day at Death Valley, not a lot of people believed it.

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All the signs were pointing toward another mammoth upset at the hands of Syracuse.

The beginning of the Trevor Lawrence Era gets put on hold when the freshman gets knocked out of the game late in the first half with a concussion.

The offense, which wasn't great shakes with Lawrence, chokes and sputters without him (not to mention without Kelly Bryant, who might or might not have been watching from parts unknown).

When Amari Rodgers fumbles a punt at his own 10 and Syracuse cashes in with a touchdown to go up 10 early in the fourth quarter, it seems like the defining sequence for a team that has been outplayed for most of the day.

Raise your hand if, at that moment, you had the confidence in Brice to bring the Tigers back. Raise your hand if you could envision what happened to make Clemson win 27-23.

At that point you're probably thinking defense or special teams needs to provide a touchdown or two to have a chance, kind of like an eerily similar game against Louisville four years ago.

This 5-0 bunch has some flaws for sure, and it's far from a finished product. But Dabo Swinney believes his team showed the mark of something special on this crazy afternoon.

"I've never been more proud of a team in all my life," the coach said. "I'll never forget this one. This one right here will rank up there with the biggest ones I've had.

"I saw a team grow up. I saw a team stand up for each other and have each other's back."

Swinney accurately noted that the game was a microcosm of the week: Jolting adversity coming in, and jolting adversity during the game itself.

Brice was at the controls on two long touchdown drives in the Tigers' last three possessions, including a 13-play, 94-yard scoring march that was capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne with 41 seconds left.

Powerful running by Etienne, Adam Choice and Tavien Feaster pushed the Tigers to midfield after a Syracuse punt and a holding penalty put them at their own 6.

With 2:50 on the clock, fourth-and-1 from the Orange 46 became fourth-and-6 from the Clemson 48. Swinney swallowed hard and kept his offense on the field, and Brice threaded a pretty throw to Tee Higgins on a corner route for 20 yards to the Syracuse 32.

"No way was I giving the ball back to that quarterback in that situation," Swinney said. "We were either winning it or losing it right there."

That play, plus what would come on the next, showed what had Clemson's coaches so excited about Brice during the offseason.

No, they never thought they'd have to rely on the kid to get them out of a jam this early. They were probably thinking more in terms of years than weeks when they raved about his potential.

But after the offseason transfers of Zerrick Cooper and Hunter Johnson, after Bryant's departure and his parting shots a few days ago, after Lawrence went to the locker room late in the first half, there Brice stood as the triggerman.

He ran a zone-read and the pressuring defensive end crashed on the running back, so he pulled it and ran himself. It took five Syracuse players to bring him down 17 yards later on a relentless, bullish run that showed the moxie his coaches had advertised.

When Swinney saw Brice pull it and start running, his first thought was "Oh no." Brice was one ding away from giving way to Ben Batson, and that had sort of been how this week had gone.

"But I love the will to win," Swinney said.

After this, it seemed inevitable Clemson would reach the end zone and achieve sweet relief. Feaster smashed up the middle for 11 to set up a first-and-goal from the 5. Then Feaster again for 3. Then Etienne through a gaping hole to close it out.

This was the culmination of a 293-yard rushing effort for the Tigers on 53 carries. Early in the third quarter, Swinney told co-offensive coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott they were going to have to go old-school and pound the run while Brice settled down.

Eitenne had 203 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Choice had 58 on nine totes, and Feaster carried it nine times for 44 yards.

"We ran it when they knew we were going to run it," Swinney said. "And it was unbelievable. Against basically an eight-man box every single snap."

Will this drive go down as an all-timer? Maybe not.

But on this day and in this season, it goes down as vitally important because it averted an all-time upset.

"Heart of a champion," Swinney said. "You know it when you see it, and you know it when you don't. That's all I can say: Heart of a champion."

It was fitting that the defense closed it out with Xavier Thomas planting Eric Dungey into the turf.

Syracuse had a chance to extend its lead after Clemson made it 23-20. The Orange drove into Clemson territory and had third-and-4 from the 46, but a first-down completion on fourth-and-1 was wiped away thanks to an illegal man downfield penalty.

After Clemson punted it back, the defense produced a three-and-out to give Brice and the offense another chance.

Earlier in the half, the defense bailed out the offense after a poor throw by Brice resulted in an interception and Syracuse ball at the Clemson 38.

The Orange went into reverse from there and had to punt.

Big, big moments in hindsight. Syracuse totaled 311 yards on 67 plays and had 61 rushing yards on 26 carries.

After Clemson trimmed it to 16-10, A.J. Terrell picked off a Dungey pass and gave the offense the ball at the Syracuse 25. Clemson got a field goal out of that.

Now Swinney and everyone in the Clemson program gets to take a deep breath after a tumultuous week ended with a tumultuous game.

"I'm so proud of our team and our staff," the head coach said. "It's been a long week, and it's been a tough week. Challenges within the week, challenges within the game. The game was kind of a reflection of the week."

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