Embarrassing. Disappointing. Subpar. Those are just a few of the many words that have been thrown around about the start for Syracuse football in 2019. The Orange are now 1-2 with their lone win coming against Liberty in Week 1. In their last two games, Syracuse has been outscored 104-26. Yeesh. This comes off a 10-3 season last year that ended in a Camping World Bowl victory over West Virginia. Although it is only Week 4, the Orange are entering must-win territory. The good news is each of the next two games for Syracuse is winnable and at home, with Western Michigan this weekend and Holy Cross the following Saturday. But the Orange don’t just need a win over Western Michigan on Saturday, they need to make a statement that this team can turn it around.
A look into Western Michigan
The Broncos are off to a 2-1 start on the season, with their lone loss coming 51-17 on the road at Michigan State. Last weekend, Western Michigan ran their way to a 57-10 win over Georgia State, a team that knocked off Tennessee earlier in the season. The Broncos rushed for a whopping 450 yards, putting them at an average of 202.3 rushing yards on the season. WMU was led by senior back LeVante Bellamy, who went for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman Sean Tyler also put his name on the radar with six carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Syracuse’s defense did a decent job containing star Clemson RB Travis Etienne, holding him to 76 yards on 14 carries.
At quarterback, the Broncos feature a third-year starter, Jon Wassink. He’s had a solid season so far, completing 70.7% of his passes for 866 yards and seven touchdowns. Wassink has averaged 288.70 yards a game, good for 18th in college football. Even in a big loss at Michigan State, Wassink finished 23-37 for 252 yards, throwing a touchdown and two picks. His favorite weapons are WR DaShon Bussell, WR Skyy Moore, and TE Giovanni Ricci. All three have caught 12 passes this year for over 160 yards this season. The Syracuse secondary will be tested a week after allowing Tee Higgins and Amari Rodgers to absolutely shred them. There’s a good chance the Broncos can put up some points on a Syracuse defense that was supposed to be a strong suit.
Syracuse’s offense has to improve
That section title might be an understatement. Gone are the days of Eric Dungey scrambling to make big plays. This is not a bad thing, but if Tommy DeVito doesn’t have a good game this weekend, the questions are just going to get tougher to answer. There were several throws DeVito made where he either missed a wide-open read downfield or the one case where the Orange had some momentum following an interception and DeVito rolled out, saw no one open, and threw the ball into double coverage on the sideline instead of throwing the ball away. There hasn’t really been a throw this season that has made me go, “wow, that’s the kid I said is going to be even better than Dungey.” There’s a lot on DeVito’s shoulders this weekend. Western Michigan’s pass defense is middle of the road (217 YPG), but DeVito can’t afford to keep shooting himself in the foot. Granted, the lack of a running game and weak offensive line play has not helped the young quarterback.
Speaking of that lack of a run game, Syracuse went for just 15 yards on 42 carries in their 41-6 loss against Clemson. The season began with high hopes for the three-headed monster of Moe Neal, Abdul Adams, and Jarveon Howard, but that monster has been tamed thus far. The offensive line has been brutal. DeVito was sacked eight times last weekend. Western Michigan is only averaging 2.33 sacks per game, so if the offensive line doesn’t show up this weekend it might not for the entire season.
Final thoughts, prediction
My confidence in this Syracuse team has gone down since that Maryland game. It is imperative that the Orange right the ship to 3-2 these next two games before facing only ACC opponents the rest of the way. That being said, the MAC has been no slouch this season. Just last weekend, Eastern Michigan knocked off Illinois on the road and Ohio played a close contest with Marshall. I don’t think Dino Babers and the Orange will take any opponent lightly, but they definitely cannot roll over with a sleepy noon kick on the ACC Network. The Orange enter as six-point favorites, but ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Broncos a 55.8% chance to pull the upset. I could see this happening, but I think Syracuse needs this win too much. Last season, it was a 55-42 win in Kalamazoo. This year, I’ll take the Orange, 31-27.