All Three Phases Share Blame in Syracuse's Loss to Duke
Syracuse fell to 1-3 on the season after a 38-24 defeat at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils. Duke entered the game 0-4 and led the nation in turnovers. Syracuse took advantage with four forced turnovers in the game, but it was not enough to knock off the Blue Devils inside the Dome.
Syracuse had several blunders in this game that contributed to the loss, with each of the three phases playing a part.
OFFENSE
Syracuse managed just 286 yards of offense, 132 of which came on their two offensive touchdowns. Other than those two players, Syracuse had 154 yards on 50 plays, or 3.08 yards per play. They simply could not sustain drives. There were a variety of factors in this.
Inconsistency running the ball prevented offensive balance. The offensive line had its share of struggles in that area. Quarterback Tommy DeVito was the victim of key drops, some of which came on third down. The failure to make catches on third downs were a factor in the inability to continue drives. That also were part of the reason for seven three and outs in 13 offensive possessions, and why Syracuse was just 2-12 on third downs.
DeVito also made some mistakes of his own, such as running out of bounds for a three yard loss rather than throwing the ball away. Of the five times he was sacked, at least a few of them were as a result of holding the ball too long.
Perhaps the biggest blunder was the offensive line on a fourth and short play in the second quarter. Syracuse had recovered a fumble and was leading 14-10. A few quality runs and a screen pass set them up with third and one at the Duke 13 yard line. Syracuse went back to Sean Tucker on the ground, but he was stopped after only getting about half a yard. On fourth and short, Syracuse did not hesitate.
They rushed up to the line and packed in the formation. A quarterback sneak was called, but poorly executed. The offensive line got zero push and DeVito had absolutely nowhere to go in order to try to squeak out a half yard for a first down. The failure to convert not only took points off the board, but took momentum away from Syracuse and allowed Duke to seize control of the game. The Blue Devils would score touchdowns on their next two possessions to take a 10 point lead into halftime.
DEFENSE
The defense forced four turnovers, which is going to get you a win in most games. Especially when you don't turn it over yourself. However, that was not the case in this one. The Syracuse defense, despite those turnovers, was simply gashed by the Blue Devils ground attack all game long.
Duke racked up 363 yards on the ground, averaging nearly six yards per carry. Every time Syracuse would start to get some momentum, Duke would take it back with their running game. Syracuse allowed two Duke running backs to run for over 160 yards each.
But the defensive struggles went beyond that. Chase Brice, who entered the game struggling mightily, threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Crossing routes and slants torched the Orange secondary all afternoon.
Syracuse also had missed opportunities for even more turnovers. Trill Williams, Mikel Jones and Ja'Had Carter all dropped interceptions. At least two of those drives ended in points for Duke.
The Blue Devils were also an extremely efficient 12-17 on third down, helped by a plethora of missed tackles by the Orange defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Andre Szmyt made his only field goal attempt and Nolan Cooney averaged a solid 46.9 yards per punt. Kick and punt return coverage were solid. But there was one special teams mistake that was extremely costly.
Syracuse led 14-10 in the second quarter and stopped a Duke drive to set up a 48 yard field goal attempt. The kick was short and wide, but there was a flag on the play. Defensive back Garrett Williams had come around the edge to try to block the kick, rolled into the kicker, and roughing the kicker was called.
Instead of Syracuse getting the ball back, Duke would get a touchdown on that drive and take the lead back for good.
