Syracuse is one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2013, boasting a 5-2 record in 2018. The 5 wins mark the most of the Dino Babers era, with the Orangemen going 4-8 in his first two seasons.
The Orangemen started the season 4-0, but then lost two straight to Clemson and Pittsburgh. Both losses came in the final minute of regulation or in overtime. Syracuse led against the Tigers nearly the entire game, and even held a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter, but Clemson ultimately won the game on Travis Etienne rushing touchdown with 41 seconds left on the clock (23-27). The following week, Syracuse held a 7-point lead over Pitt at one point in the 4th quarter, but the Panthers managed to kick a 45-yard field goal with 8 seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime, where Darrin Hall’s 3-yard run was enough to give Pitt a 44-37 victory.
Syracuse managed to get back in the win column last week against UNC, beating the Tar Heels 40-37 in double overtime.
The Wolfpack will have to contain a potent Syracuse offense tonight in order to be victorious. The Orangemen are averaging 42.6 points per game, which ranks 9th in the NCAA. Cuse hasn’t put up points like this since the Donovan McNabb era back in 1998. Yes, they are also giving up 26.9 points per game, which ranks 70th in Scoring Defense, but when your offense puts 43 on the board per game, you can afford to give up some points.
Offense
Part of what has makes Syracuse’s offense so dangerous is it’s balance. The Orange rank 31st in rushing offense (212.9 yards per game) and 35th in passing offense (261.7 yards per game). When you add it all up, Syracuse is averaging 474.6 yards of total offense, which ranks 19th nationally.
Babers has to be pleased with the improvement in the rushing game, averaging 51.4 more yards rushing per game this year compared to last year. Syracuse has 19 rushing touchdowns thus far in 2018, which is 3 more than they had all of last year. Part of this is due to the wealth of experience of the Offensive Line. This unit has 135 starts together, which is the 3rd most in the ACC, and the 8th most nationally. Senior Quarterback Eric Dungey is Syracuse’s leading rusher in 2018 once again, gaining 477 yards on the ground (5.2 yards per carry) and 8 touchdowns. Besides Dungey, the Orangemen have 3 other running backs that are averaging over 4.5 yards per carry:
Dungey has held the starting job at quarterback for four years now, but was benched at the end of last weeks game versus UNC for Redshirt Freshman Tommy DeVito, who led the Orangemen to a come-from-behind victory in double-overtime. Babers has been quiet on what their plan is at quarterback tonight, but I expect to see both guys on the field. Dungey is one of three active FBS quarterbacks with more than 7,000 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards. His 291.5 career yards of total offense per game is fifth among active players. He’s truly one of the most versatile quarterbacks in ACC history.
Senior Wide Receiver Jamal Curtis (6’5″/213) is the leader of the receiving corps, averaging 84.6 yards per game and 18.5 yards per catch. Junior Sean Riley actually leads the team in receptions (33) from the slot.
Defense
The defense has improved drastically since Brian Ward took the Defensive Coordinator job three years ago, but it still has a ways to go:
With that being said, the Orangemen defense has its strong points. Syracuse ranks 5th nationally in third down defense, only allowing their opponents to convert 24.8% of the time. They have gained 17 turnovers, which ranks 7th nationally. Syracuse also ranks 28th in Red Zone Defense (76.2) and 19th in sacks (3.0).
The Defensive End tandem of Junior Kendall Coleman and Junior Alton Robinson leads the ACC in sacks as a duo.
10 of Syracuse’s 17 turnovers have been interceptions, which more than doubles their total from last year (4). Freshman Defensive Back Andre Cisco leads the charge with 4 of them, ranking 2nd in the FBS.
Their +8 turnover margin leads the ACC, and the Orangemen have turned the 17 turnovers into 57 points on the board.
Special Teams
Slot Receiver Sean Riley not only leads the team in receptions, but he is also one of the best kick returners in college football. He is averaging 21.1 yards per punt return, which is tops in the ACC, and he is averaging 18 yards per kickoff return, which is down from his average of 24.5 last year.
Place Kicker Andre Szmyt and Punter Sterling Hofrichter make up one of the top kicking duos in America. Szmyt ranks 2nd nationally in field goals per game (2.57) and Hofricther ranks 13th in yards per punt (45.2). The only other team to have their punter and place kicker both rank in the Top-15 is LSU.