The Clemson Tigers kept their postseason hopes alive in New York this weekend, taking down Syracuse 18-13 on Saturday afternoon to move to 6-3 on the season. 

Of course, with every week, Clemson had players who stood out in the victory, while others were unable to meet the moment in a game that needed younger players to step up with so many players out of Saturday’s contest. 

Here are three players who improved their stock, while another two who struggled in the win.

Stock Up: Kourtney Kelly, Defensive Lineman

The West Georgia transfer made the biggest play of the game for the Tigers on Saturday, strip-sacking Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli in the third quarter to set up a fumble return touchdown from another defensive lineman, Jahiem Lawson. 

Kelly added three total tackles in the win, but he made the most important play for Clemson by scoring its only touchdown of the game. While the Tigers took care of the game defensively, only allowing 13 points, they had to put matters into their own hands on that side of the ball to bring in more points. 

It’s a special story for Kelly, who tore his ACL during spring practices, and now he’s making the most important plays for the Tigers in a pivotal contest. Head coach Dabo Swinney will be happy with one of his first transfers from this past offseason, and his spark will be key down the stretch this season for Clemson.

Stock Down: Gavin Blachard, Offensive Lineman

Clemson’s offensive line struggled to protect the backfield, and a lot of these new pieces were the reasons for that. One of those players was sophomore Gavin Blanchard. 

There was a specific play that ended up breaking down a two-point conversion: Blanchard stepped on quarterback Tait Reynolds that eventually led to an unsuccessful try to put Clemson up seven points. The Tigers also struggled to run the ball at times after starter Jarvis Green broke a 53-yard rush on the opening play of the game. 

For the sophomore offensive lineman, there’s plenty to learn from a game as a starter. Blanchard will use this game as a learning experience going into the rest of the season.

Stock Up: Ashton Hampton, Cornerback

Going into this contest with the Orange, the talk of the matchup was on the outside, with Hampton going up against the player with the fourth-most receiving yards in the country: Umari Hatcher. 

After the game, Hampton only held him to two receptions for 12 yards. That was it. Meanwhile, the junior finished with eight solo tackles and three pass deflections. 

Most importantly, the Tallahassee native recorded an interception off of Angeli in the fourth quarter to help put the game on ice, being the only pick that Syracuse would throw in the game. However, it couldn’t have happened at a better time for the Tigers. 

Another week, another game of Hampton improving his draft stock. The question now is how high he goes once the spring comes around to the pros. 

Stock Down: T.J. Moore, Wide Receiver

When Moore returned to the program in the offseason, the question would be how he would be able to elevate his game in his third season. 

While he finished with four receptions for 63 yards, Moore missed other opportunities to inflate that number or even extend drives. He’s been outplayed by fellow junior wideout Bryant Wesco Jr. for the majority of the season, finishing with 104 yards off of six receptions on Saturday. 

There’s no question that Moore has the talent to be a top receiver in the country. However, he’s got to be a better contributor for Reynolds, who is making his first several starts of college football so far.

Stock Up: Grant Wise, Center

As a freshman, going into the offensive line is a tough task. An even tougher task is being at the center of it all, snapping it to another true freshman. 

However, Swinney praised Wise plenty after the game. 

“I can’t say enough about Grant Wise,” he said. “I mean, he competed his best, a true freshman coming on the road, playing center, in an environment like this. It’s really loud, and I’m really proud of him on how he managed the game.”

Senior starter Harris Sewell is expected to be out for most of the month, meaning the freshman will have to continue to step up in an important time of the season. The Tigers will need to win out to consider themselves as a contender for the ACC Championship, and if Wise plays like he did, there’s a chance to help that going forward. 

Clemson is back in action next weekend at home against Georgia Tech. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.