Phillips looking forward to the challenge of playing Syracuse in front of family

Phillips and the Tigers take on Syracuse Saturday at noon.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Sep 27 12:30:13 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Jalyn Phillips has to find a bevy of tickets for Saturday’s noon tilt at Syracuse, but he knows he can’t lose sight of the fact that the Tigers are in for a challenge.

Clemson (2-2 overall, 0-2 ACC) plays at Syracuse (4-0, 0-0) in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday at noon on ABC, and Phillips said he knows it will be a challenge.

“Most of my family is from Upstate New York. I've been up there a few times,” Phillips said earlier this week. “It's a great environment -- that dome. It gets very loud. Syracuse is a very good team. I know they're going to pack that dome out. So we got to go up there and be ready to play a good road defense and be ready on our side. Just be prepared for whatever it is."

Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader rushed for 195 yards and four touchdowns against Purdue a few weeks ago and is sixth in the ACC in rushing at 79 yards per game.

"He's a little bigger. He likes to run too. I think I was watching one game and he had almost 200 yards rushing, or something like that,” Phillips said. “He likes to use his legs and throw the ball as well. So, we got to be prepared for that and really cage him in and have him inside the box as much as possible. Not let him get comfortable in the run game. So, it's a big challenge for us for sure. We got to prepare for it."

Clemson’s secondary might be without the services of cornerback Nate Wiggins, who suffered a bone bruise late in the loss to Florida State.

"We're gonna need Nate. He's a great player -- first-round talent. We need all the guys,” Phillips said. “I'm very proud of Nate. A scary situation for sure. Happy that it wasn't serious. Maybe [we] get him back this week or next -- not sure of his status. But very happy it's nothing serious."

If Wiggins is unable to go, he will be replaced by sophomore cornerback Jeadyn Lukus.

"He has great confidence now. This camp was the best camp I've ever seen him have,” Phillips said. “Early in his career, when you first get here you got to start learning the playbook that can be a lot for a freshman and a sophomore, but he's really coming along and gaining that confidence. DB is one of the hardest positions to play, a bad play can happen but you have to flush it and move on in the game. [I'm] very proud of Jeadyn Lukus and his progression of how he came in and where he's at now."