Clemson 18, Syracuse 13: Hauser's four kicks and a Lawson scoop-and-score

Clemson did not score an offensive touchdown at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday and still left with an 18-13 win over Syracuse. Nolan Hauser kicked four field goals, including a 54-yarder, and Jahiem Lawson supplied the only Clemson touchdown on a 22-yard fumble return in the third quarter.

Syracuse outgained Clemson 380 to 359 and had more first downs, 20 to 16. It was not enough against a defense that turned one takeaway into six points and a kicker who did not miss.

How it was won

The first half was a kicking contest. Hauser opened the scoring with a 32-yard field goal at 12:30 of the first quarter, Tripp Woody answered from 26 yards, and Hauser restored the lead from 36 yards before the quarter ended. Woody tied it again with a 46-yarder in the second quarter, and Hauser's 37-yarder with 2:06 left in the half sent Clemson to the locker room up 9-6.

The game turned inside a minute of the third quarter. Hauser hit from 54 yards at 7:25 to make it 12-6. At 6:39, Lawson picked up a fumble and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. The two-point run failed, but the lead was 18-6.

Syracuse did not reach the end zone until 3:12 remained, when Steve Angeli found Daunte Bacheyie for a 33-yard touchdown. Woody's kick made it 18-13, and Clemson saw out the rest.

Angeli threw for 263 yards on 18 of 40 passing with one touchdown and one interception. Bacheyie caught six passes for 82 yards, Justus Ross-Simmons added four for 84, and Ahmad Miller ran 20 times for 101 yards. Syracuse converted 6 of 17 third downs.

For Clemson, Tait Reynolds completed 17 of 28 passes for 161 yards with an interception and ran 15 times for 61 yards. Jarvis Green gained 85 yards on nine carries. Bryant Wesco Jr. caught six passes for 100 yards and T.J. Moore had four for 63. Clemson went 4 of 16 on third down, which explains the field goals, but held the ball for 32:29. Each side turned it over twice.

Against the number

Clemson closed as a 1.5-point favorite and won by five, so the Tigers covered. The moneylines closed nearly even, Clemson -115 and Syracuse -105, a sign the market saw this as close to a coin flip.

The total closed at 50.5 and the teams combined for 31 points, a comfortable under. Seven field-goal attempts produced 18 of those points, and the only offensive touchdown came late in the fourth quarter. Full pricing history is on the game page.

What's next

Clemson (6-3) has won two straight, following the 36-24 win at Florida State with this one. The Tigers host Georgia Tech on Saturday, November 14, on the CW.

Syracuse (4-5) had won two in a row, beating North Carolina 31-30 on the road and No. 19 SMU 30-27 at home, before this loss. The Orange need two more wins to reach six. They travel to NC State on Saturday, November 14, on ACC Network.