SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Jahiem Lawson returned Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli’s backwards pass and fumble 22 yards for a score, Ashton Hampton intercepted Angeli in the end zone and Clemson held on to defeat the Orange 18-13 Saturday.

Clemson (6-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won consecutive games for the first time in more than month with a smothering defense that held Angeli to 18-of-40 passing, 263 yards and two turnovers. Under duress for much of the game, the Tigers defense sacked the Orange quarterback three times. At one point, Angeli missed on 11 straight pass attempts and often misfired when he wasn’t pressured. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Syracuse (4-5, 2-5). The Orange need two wins for bowl eligibility.

“First and foremost, the offense starts with me,” Angeli said. “Just got to make these throws It’s on me. I practice these all the time. Made them in practice. You’ve got to make them (in the game). The line’s doing everything to give me time. For what I’m supposed to be for this team, I have to make those throws.”

Tait Reynolds was 17-of-28 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 61 yards. He was sacked three times. Jarvis Green had 85 yards rushing and Bryant Wesco had six catches for 100 yards.

Ahmad Miller had 101 yards rushing for Syracuse. Daunte Bacheyie had six receptions for 82 yards.

Clemson was leading 12-6 midway through the third quarter when defensive tackle Kourtney Kelly forced the fumble. Lawson scooped it up and ran 22 yards to pay dirt, extending the Tigers lead to 18-6. The 2-point conversion failed.

“Obviously, the score on defense was huge," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We didn't finish in the red zone but defensively we were awesome in the red zone. Probably the difference in the game.

“The scoop and score was the massive play, kind of really changed the whole flow, the momentum of the game, at a critical juncture.”

""I couldn't tell if it was a fumble," Lawson said. “But I saw it coming out and I was like, ‘Oh yeah.’ And when I was running over there, it felt like no one was near me so I was like, ‘I’m about to scoop and score.'”

Angeli hit Bacheyie on a 33-yard pass play to make 18-13 with 3:12 to go in the game, but the Tigers held the ball the rest of the way.

Trailing 18-6, Hampton's interception on third-and-goal from the Clemson 4-yard line thwarted the Orange with a little more than 10 minutes to go.

Clemson held Syracuse to 6 of 17 on third down. Clemson was worse. Syracuse held the Tigers to 4 of 16 and no offensive touchdowns.

"I do feel like we made it a lot harder that it needed to be," Swinney said. “Again, just a lot of missed opportunities in the red zone that could've come back and cost us. But special teams were big again. and the offense to finish the game was awesome.”

The first half was a defensive struggle with neither team making it into the end zone. The teams traded five field goals for a 9-6 Clemson lead at intermission. Nolan Hauser had field goals of 32, 36 and 37 yards but missed on a 57-yard attempt for the Tigers. Tripp Woody connected from 26 and 46 yards out but doinked a 32-yard attempt.

The Takeaway:

Clemson: The Tigers have some mojo heading down the home stretch. The offense still needs a lot work, especially in the red zone, but the defense has several players who will play on Sunday.

Syracuse: Coming off two straight wins, the Orange had a lot of air come out of its balloon. Angeli had one of his poorest games of his Syracuse career, throwing an ill-advised pass for the pick and was off all day. The defense held it together, but Syracuse will have to regroup if it wants to get bowl eligible.

So Close:

Syracuse's five losses have been by a combined 33 points.

Sack Exchange:

Clemson maintained its average with three more sacks.

Up Next:

Clemson: Hosts Georgia Tech Nov. 14.

Syracuse: Visits North Carolina State Nov. 14.

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