Clemson Beat Syracuse 18-13 on Lawson Defensive Touchdown

Clemson beat Syracuse 18-13 on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York. Clemson's only touchdown was a defensive score, and the Tigers held Syracuse without a touchdown until 3:12 remained in the game.

Clemson improved to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the ACC with its second straight road win. Syracuse fell to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the ACC.

Lawson turns a fumble into six points

End Jahiem Lawson picked up a fumble forced by tackle Kourtney Kelly and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. That defensive touchdown was Clemson's only touchdown of the game. In a low-scoring game, the play stood as the difference in the final margin.

Clemson did not allow a Syracuse touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. With 3:12 remaining, Steve Angeli found Daunte Bacheyie for the Orange's only touchdown. The score cut the game to its final 18-13 margin, but Syracuse did not score again.

Cornerback Ashton Hampton intercepted Angeli in the end zone to halt a Syracuse drive that had reached the Clemson 3-yard line. The interception protected Clemson's lead at a point when Syracuse was in position to change the game with a touchdown.

Field goals fill the first half

Kicker Nolan Hauser made field goals for Clemson, including a 54-yarder in the second half. The long kick added points in a game in which touchdowns were hard to find for both teams.

The teams combined for seven field-goal attempts in the first half. That total was the most in a first half since 2020, according to the ESPN2 broadcast as reported by Greenville News. The number tells the shape of the first half clearly: drives moved, drives stalled, and kickers were called on again and again.

Clemson won without an offensive touchdown. The Tigers won with a defensive touchdown, a long field goal in the second half, an end zone interception, and a defense that kept Syracuse out of the end zone until the final minutes. Syracuse finished with one touchdown, scored with 3:12 left, and a home loss that dropped the Orange to 4-5.

For Clemson, the second straight road win moves the Tigers to 6-3 and keeps them at 4-2 in the ACC. For Syracuse, the loss is a second conference defeat at home in the closing stretch, with the late touchdown too late to change the result.