Steve Angeli threw two touchdowns before leaving with a leg injury as visiting Syracuse knocked off Clemson 34-21 on Saturday in a game that was delayed by lightning for more than 90 minutes.
Angeli suffered a non-contact injury in the third quarter and later was seen on the sideline on crutches, unable to put any weight on his left leg. The Orange quarterback, who entered the game leading the nation in passing yards, finished 18 of 31 for 244 yards.
Syracuse led 24-14 at halftime.
Rickie Collins, who replaced Angeli, threw a third-quarter touchdown pass to help Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 ACC) pull away. Johntay Cook II led the Orange with six catches for 113 yards, while Justus Ross-Simmons caught five passes for 53 yards and two scores.
Clemson’s Cade Klubnik went 37 of 60 for 363 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. Adam Randall ran for 130 yards and added 44 receiving yards and a score for the Tigers (1-3, 0-2), who lost their second game in a row.
Bryant Wesco Jr. caught a pair of touchdown passes for Clemson.
Syracuse drove down the field to begin the game, scoring on Angeli’s 12-yard TD pass to Ross-Simmons with 11:01 left in the first quarter. The Orange then recovered a surprise onside kick and capitalized on Tripp Woody’s 23-yard field goal for a 10-0 cushion.
Klubnik responded with a 38-yard TD pass to Wesco, but the Orange tacked on two touchdowns early in the second quarter. First, Will Nixon scored on a 9-yard run to make it 17-7, and then Angeli found Darrell Gill Jr. for a 22-yard scoring strike to put the visitors ahead by 17 points.
Klubnik and Randall teamed a 6-yard TD pass late in the first half to bring the hosts within 24-14.
After the lightning delay, the Orange scored the only 10 points of the third quarter. Woody’s 49-yard kick made it 27-14, and Collins’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Ross-Simmons ballooned the lead to 34-14 with 2:12 left in the period.
Klubnik and Wesco connected for a 9-yard TD play with nine minutes left in the game, but Syracuse got a pair of fourth-down stops down the stretch.
