Syracuse football began their 2019 season with a 24-0 win over Liberty. But it didn’t feel like that big of a victory for Syracuse fans.
The Orange got off to a slow start and led just 10-0 at the half. The second half looked a little better, with the Cuse running game getting its legs going. Now, the Orange face a tough road test against Maryland. The Terps are coming off of a 79-0 drubbing over Howard. But keep in mind Howard is an FCS school that went 4-6 in 2018. That 79-0 win led to quite the overreaction from the public. Syracuse opened as three-point favorites, but the line has completely shifted, with the Terps now two-point favorites. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but one thing is for certain: the Orange will have their hands full on Saturday afternoon. With that being said, here are my three keys to victory for Syracuse this weekend.
1. Avoid a slow start
Syracuse led 3-0 after the first quarter in Liberty. Granted, it was game one. A slow start can be expected, but Maryland is a much better team than Liberty, especially offensively. The Flames had the Orange on the ropes before Trill Williams forced a fumble at the Syracuse four-yard line. Without this fumble, it could’ve been an early 7-0 Liberty lead. For Maryland, it was a 28-0 lead after the first quarter that they did not look back on. Syracuse cannot afford to be down big early, especially on the road.
2. Get Tommy DeVito going
DeVito was the main talking point around Syracuse this week. Some of it may be a slight overreaction. It was the guys first start with the keys to the offense fully in his hands. We can cut him some slack. At the same time, however, 17-35 for 176 yards and 2 interceptions paired with no touchdowns isn’t a great look. And DeVito definitely looked shaky at times in the pocket. Whether it be rushing throws or overthrowing receivers, there were a lot of DeVito moments that left me shaking my head. Not to compare DeVito to Eric Dungey too often, but the lack of any sort of running ability could be a hindrance to DeVito this season. He was only sacked twice last week, but Maryland is coming off of an eight sack performance. Not to mention, Clemson’s defensive line looms next week. Get DeVito going with some early screen passes or quick routes to get his confidence up. I know he has the arm to be successful. Now it’s about getting him comfortable.
3. Slow down Josh Jackson
It’s hard to assess exactly where Josh Jackson is at. After a major injury ended his career at Virginia Tech, it’s great to see such a talented quarterback out there and performing. Jackson put up 245 yards passing and four touchdowns in Maryland’s route over Howard. Jackson has never been a rushing threat, but he will definitely be more limited to the pocket now. This is great news for a Syracuse defensive line that got to the quarterback eight times and is headlined by Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman, along with emerging stud Josh Black. The main focus here is on the secondary. The Orange secondary has greatness written all over it, holding Liberty QB Stephen Calvert to a 9.2 QBR and allowing him to complete just 51.3% of his passes. However, there were a few big chunk plays that were a little concerning. Jackson isn’t the most accurate passer (59.9% coming into 2019), but he does strike a little more fear than Calvert. The Cuse secondary will have to be on their A-game on Saturday.
Final thoughts, prediction
The betting line moving all the way from Syracuse (-3) to Maryland (-2) was interesting to see early in the week. For me, I’m riding with the Orange not just to cover but to win straight up. Both defenses were great, pitching shutouts in Week 1. If Syracuse can run the ball efficently once again to open up the passing game, they can win going away. I’ll take Syracuse to win, 31-24. Expect DeVito to show why Coach Babers was so high on him coming into this season.