With six games under their belts, the Syracuse Orange sit at 3-3, on pace to become bowl-eligible for the second straight season. But 6-6 and bowl-eligible is not the standard head coach Dino Babers wants to set in Upstate New York. Now, granted, it will take time. But Babers is now in his fourth year with the program, meaning the recruits are all his. And one of his biggest lands was QB Tommy DeVito, who has not performed up to the expectations of many. Last time I said Syracuse needed to step up and win a game was against Western Michigan, where they did 52-33. Now it’s a Friday night ESPN game against rival Pitt that could swing the balance of the entire season.
Syracuse will certainly be looking for revenge. In a notoriously tight series (Pitt leads 39-32), the Panthers won 44-37 in overtime last season. The game ended on a pretty bad throw from Orange QB Eric Dungey (I was there at Heinz Field, sadly), after a very long weather delay. That game seemed like it could be the beginning of the end to a season in which the Orange started 4-0 but lost back-to-back close games to Clemson and Pitt. But Syracuse recovered, to the tune of four straight wins and an eventual 10-3 record. This year, the circumstances are different. The remainder of the Orange’s schedule includes Florida State, Boston College, Duke, Louisville, and Wake Forest, all of which are right around their level. 4-3 going at Florida State looks and feels a lot better than 3-4. Syracuse has to turn their season around on Friday night.
Stopping Pitt
The Panthers are off to a 4-2 start this season, but it’s been a bit of a weird start. Pitt has seemingly gotten up and played in big games, but struggled to take care of relatively easy opponents. Their big win came 35-34 over UCF at home, but then followed that up with a 17-14 struggle over Delaware. They also played undefeated Penn State tight, but nearly blew a 23-point lead against Duke.
The good news for the Orange is that they will be preparing for a one-sided attack. The Panthers haven’t been able to run the ball much at all this season, but the Syracuse rush defense is middle of the pack, so they could get it going on Friday. Pitt’s attack comes mainly from the arm of junior Kenny Pickett and the hands of Taysir Mack. Pickett has thrown for 1,370 yards this season, but all four of his interceptions have come in conference play. Syracuse’s defense prides itself on turnovers (13 this season), so key interceptions could swing the momentum in this game. Although inconsistent, I think at its core Syracuse’s defense is still what is going to win games.
The bad news for the Orange is that Pitt’s defense is consistent and it is consistently great. The Panthers rank 19th in total defense, 16th in rush defense, and 41st in pass defense in the nation. All of these ingredients sound like a long night for the struggling Syracuse offense.
Getting it going offensively
Syracuse’s offense has been flat out ugly at times this year. But it’s really lazy to sit back and complain about Tommy DeVito every week. The kid was 29-39 for 300 yards and a touchdown with no picks while clearly battling an injury. That’s a statline I’d sign up for every week. However, I won’t sign up for eight sacks a week. These cannot fall completely on DeVito, if at all. Having less than three seconds to throw is not acceptable. And the poor offensive line performance leaks into the running game that was supposed to be prolific this season.
To overcome this, it seems pretty darn simple. If Babers hasn’t figured it out, he should this week. Syracuse has looked its best when it plays desperate. Obviously it might not be the same desperation as trailing 16-3 late in the fourth quarter, but the offense has to be as fast as Babers advertised. It should be quick passes, mixed with draws and RPOs. With an offensive line that is this bad, you can’t sit back and run expansive routes. The weapons on the outside such as Trishton Jackson, Taj Harris, Sean Riley and Cameron Jordan are plentiful. All are capable of beating corners one-on-one in the flat. Go back to the offense that made you this dangerous with Eric Dungey. Go up top to Jackson every once in a while to keep the defense honest, but it should all boil down to pace. Orange is supposed to be the new fast, and it has not been in 2019. Put Tommy DeVito in a position to succeed. It shouldn’t be rocket science.
Final Prediction
The Dome on a Friday night is usually a huge advantage. But the sleepiness of the Syracuse home crowd since the Clemson game has been noticeable. With a rival like Pitt coming to town, this could be the extra juice the Orange needs. I’m taking Syracuse not because I necessarily think they’re better, but because this is a game they HAVE to win. My confidence in Babers hasn’t completely waivered, but there are some red flags popping up recently. I’ll take the Orange to win, 31-28.