Five Takeaways: Florida State 33 Syracuse 30
Syracuse fell at Florida State 33-30 on a field goal as time expired to drop to 3-2 on the season. Here are five takeaways from the game.
1. Garrett Shrader is the QB.
There is no question, after two games with Shrader at the helm, that he is the quarterback for this team moving forward. The offense seems to be making strides each of the last two games with him running the show. Against Florida State, Syracuse had 389 yards of offense, scored 30 points and ran for over 230 yards against a good run defense. Shrader even threw for 150 yards. On top of that, he was only sacked once and did not turn it over (the interception on the hail mary at the end of the first half is not really a turnover). Shrader proved he can throw the ball enough to keep defenses honest, he is a big threat to run the ball (137 rushing yards and three touchdowns vs Florida State) and the offense functions better with him. He should be the guy for the rest of the year barring injury.
2. Syracuse can run on anyone.
Florida State's defensive strength was its run defense because of its stout defensive line. Yet Syracuse had two 100 yard rushers (Shrader, Sean Tucker) and averaged six yards per carry. After running all over Liberty the week before, Syracuse has established itself as a really good rushing team. The biggest test will probably be Clemson, which just held Boston College to 46 yards and just 1.4 yards per carry. Still, Syracuse is a run based offense that is succeeding against good run defenses. That is a credit to the staff for changing the way the offense operates and to the players for improved play. The combination of Shrader and Tucker in the backfield will be difficult for most teams to defend.
3. Jordan Travis torched Syracuse with his legs.
We have established a weakness in the Syracuse defense. Mobile quarterbacks. Malik Willis ran the ball well for Liberty in week four and Jordan Travis built on that this week. Travis ran for 113 yards on 19 carries, and escaped several sacks to keep drives alive. He even had two big runs on Florida State's game winning possession (though aided by blatant holding that was not called). The Syracuse defense is good. The front seven is athletic and fast. The secondary is deep and talented. Syracuse held Florida State to 378 yards of total offense, significantly less than Notre Dame and Louisville allowed to the Seminoles. Teams with mobile quarterbacks will continue to pose problems, so Syracuse must come up with a game plan for them moving forward.
4. A lot of things had to go wrong for Syracuse to lose this game.
Whether it was a fumble bouncing on the ground that Syracuse could not recover turning into a Florida State touchdown, missing three fourth and shorts that took points off of the board each time, questionable clock management at the end of the first half, three missed holds on the final drive, a bad roughing the passer penalty late int he first half that led to a Florida State touchdown, Marlowe Wax inexplicably pulling up instead of pushing Travis out of bounds on the last drive, and a host of other things were just missed chances or unfortunate luck that led to an Orange loss. Similar to the Rutgers game, it felt like Syracuse did not lose to a team that was simply better. Such is football sometimes. Some of that is just dumb luck. Some of that is on the coaching staff for play calls or decision making. Some is on execution by the players. Some is also on the officials. Plenty of blame to go around for the ultimate outcome. More on missed opportunities HERE.
5. What I think I know about Syracuse.
I think Syracuse is a team that will be competitive in just about every game it plays in. The defense is good with a vulnerability against fast mobile quarterbacks, but pressures the quarterback well and is strong on the back end. Offensively, Syracuse is a run first team with a quarterback who seems to be improving as a passer. The difference between this year's Syracuse team and last year's is night and day. This team is competitive. They are perilously close to being 5-0. This team also has good chemistry and plays hard for the coaching staff. There are flaws, clearly, but there are encouraging signs moving forward. It will be interesting to see how Syracuse plays against a 5-0, ranked Wake Forest team in the Dome.
