Now that’s what I’m talking about…A team that isn’t on the same tier (or three) as State and the Pack just show up and show out. Let’s hope this momentum carries over to this week’s rivalry game. Until then, let’s breakdown some numbers.
3.1
That’s the average yards per reception by the Orange. Coming into the game, we all knew to beat Syracuse, you had to make them throw. Shrader got his yards on the ground, but boy did State force the issue on throws. They applied pressure on the interior, while containing the edges. Secondary was sharp and aligned perfectly with their receiver. The craziest part of Syracuse’s passing performance? Drake Thomas was the leading receiver with 38 yards and a TD…beating out Orange’s Devaughn Cooper by seven yards.
∞
That’s the value Drake Thomas has on this team. After the UNC game, he’ll have doubled or tripled every statistical category possible from last year. 100 tackles, 6+ sacks, multiple interceptions, the man has been everywhere on the field. With the performance Saturday night, Thomas was once again named LB of the week in the ACC. There should be zero hesitation by voters to have him in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, especially with how this defense has played with Thomas pulling out all the stops after Wilson and Moore both went down. Last thought, was really fun to see BOTH Thomas brothers scoring in the same game, something that hasn’t happened in 40 years.
4
That’s how many touchdown throws Leary needs to pass Russell Wilson for most in a single season in school history. The fact he’ll have an outside chance of doing it in the regular season alone, is remarkable. Saturday, Leary had the least number of attempts all season, but finished with his best passer rating after hitting on 71% for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Five different players had receptions of over 25 yards. Leary displayed his maturity on deep throws and making reads. Can’t wait for Friday night, because legend status is in play with an outstanding performance.
3
That’s the number of returns Bam Knight has for touchdowns. Nobody has done it more than Bam and each one has come at the most opportune time. Wake Forest sparked a better second half from the Wolfpack and in Saturday’s game, it legitimately broke the Orange’s soul. This season isn’t what it was suppose to be for Bam. Even though he’s averaging over five yards per carry, they’ve been hard to come by. With back-to-back 745+ yard seasons, one thousand yards seemed more than doable. Yet heading into Friday’s game against UNC, he’ll need everything just to pull off a career best mark. All that to say, when one thing ain’t working, find other ways to contribute. His return game as of late has made State dangerous on special teams, something we need to close out the season.
12-96
That would be State’s penalties for the day. Thankfully, the defense held Syracuse to 3-12 on third downs, but this trend isn’t good. Easier said than done, but State will win games 99% of the time just not doing stupid stuff. They had no turnovers or bad defensive reads, just consistent mistakes costing them yards. I love Daniel Joseph and am excited to see him be an awesome role player next year on Sunday’s, but I’m amazed at the streak he has for just making at least one dumb, “in the moment” penalty.
5
For the fifth time under Doeren, State will finish with at least 8 wins. With two more victories, they’ll have their first double-digit win total since 2002 (what a damn year that was). 2019 was a disaster for more reasons than one, but the fact State could have four out of five stellar seasons is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. I fully understand that we should have more wins in the ACC department, but I hope all those naysayers also understand, schools across the country WISH they could get steady 9 win seasons.
We are officially onto rivalry week…GTHC…I hate Carolina Blue…#MackAintBack
