Think about this for a minute… In January QB Chase Brice was so far down the Clemson depth chart, he was probably the 5th or 6th string QB. He entered the season 3rd string after several transfers. Kelly Bryant leaves – and he’s up to number 2. Then in the 2nd quarter freshman phenom Trevor Lawrence is injured and Brice is now the running the offense for a top 5 team that’s in an absolute fight with a game Syracuse team.
If the story stopped right there, it would be a pretty good. With perseverance and some luck, a 3 star QB is leading a playoff contender. It’s gets better (well for Clemson fans anyways), the Tigers fall behind in the 4th quarter 23-13 and it looks like Clemson is going to take a crippling blow to their playoff chances.
You can’t make this stuff up, Brice Chase starting channeling Deshaun Watson. His was making timely throws. Brice’s 4th down throw on the game winning drive was a laser. He ran the offense crisply and efficiently. You can’t give Chase all the credit for the comeback win. Clemson’s defense had a spectacular 2nd half. The Tigers had to rely on their running game as Brice settled down, and Travis Etienne, Tavien Feastor, and Adam Choice answered the call running the ball extremely well.
Depending on Lawrence’s status, Brice will be backing him up next week again. It would take something extraordinary for Brice to ever beat out Lawrence. You never say never, but I don’t see Brice starting many games at Clemson. With that said, no matter what happens in his future he’ll always have this unlikely comeback victory over Syracuse that for the time being has saved Clemson’s playoff chances.
It’s the culture Clemson has built. It’s next man up. For a program once known for losses to teams they should beat, they now don’t lose almost ever. It doesn’t matter who is quarterback, who is playing or where. The Tigers are far more often than not going to find a way to win. Now you can add Chase Brice as the QB of record in one of the more improbable Clemson wins in recent memory. The legend of Chase Brice is born.
