Clemson held off Syracuse for an ACC football victory last Saturday.
But the margin of victory was less than a touchdown, and it sounds like the only TD the Tigers scored in the game — a defensive score — shouldn’t have counted.
It was a scoop-and-score, a fumble returned to the end zone.
But in the aftermath of the game, it sounds like Syracuse QB Steve Angeli should’ve never been ruled to have fumbled in the first place.
How Refs Got Call Wrong
The play in question featured Clemson leading 12-6 and Syracuse with the football.
Orange QB Steve Angeli dropped back to pass, and he began to line up a throw.
Angeli was hit as he went to release the ball, and the football went backward.
Clemson picked the ball up and went to score — ending with six points from the sequence because they missed on a two-point conversion.
The referee ruled that Angeli had indeed thrown a pass, but that it was backward, and so therefore it was a fumble and a live football.
There was a problem with that ruling, though. As soon as the quarterback is hit while in his throwing motion, it doesn’t matter where the ball goes. It’s incomplete because the defender is deemed to have impacted the pass — that it can’t be called a backward pass in that scenario. In the NFL earlier this season, the Lions benefited from such a call in favor of their quarterback Jared Goff.
Syracuse coach Fran Brown spoke about it on his radio show:
It sounds like the ACC told Fran Brown that Clemson’s scoop-and-score last week should’ve been ruled an incomplete pass, according to his radio show. As soon as Steve Angeli was hit by the defender, it’s a forward pass no matter where the ball goes, according to the rule book.
— Javon Edmonds (@javonedmonds45) November 13, 2026
That’s a brutal outcome for Syracuse.
Impact on Final Score
Syracuse lost the game 18-13. The Orange scored a great touchdown, but at that point they were down two scores.
If the scoop-and-score didn’t count, who knows what would’ve happened? Clemson’s only offensive scoring in the game was field-goal kicking. If Angeli was called for an incomplete pass instead of a fumble, maybe SU still wins this football game.
It would’ve been a statement win in front of the home fans at the JMA Wireless Dome. Instead, despite review processes in place on scoring plays, that scoop-and-score stood as a touchdown. That’s painful for Syracuse, and a big break for Clemson.
ACC Admits Refs Got Clemson-Syracuse TD Call Wrong