Clemson gives up touchback on punt despite having multiple players at goal line
By David Wasson
Published:
The Clemson Tigers entered Saturday’s action 1-2 after a stunning 24-21 loss at Georgia Tech last week, and coach Dabo Swinney’s team certainly wasn’t making life difficult for Syracuse early on at Tiger Stadium.
The Orange happily accepted a free touchback on what was an otherwise perfectly placed punt early in the second quarter – as Tigers punter Zach Johnson lofted a booming kick from the Syracuse 40 that bounced nearly straight up in the air at the 5.
Clemson, take it from here…
Yes, despite having perfect triangulation of coverage, the Tigers managed to completely bungle their attempt to down the ball near the goal line. Reserve safety Ronan Hanafin forgot that he can’t catch the punt and land in the end zone – as he snatched the ball away from the reach of long snapper Philip Florenzo in the process.
That mental miscue only added to the list of Clemson’s woes, as Syracuse took over at the 20-yard line and motored 80 yards on 8 plays for a touchdown to make it 24-7.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
