Five Takeaways: Minnesota 28 Syracuse 20
Syracuse fell 28-20 to Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl despite out-gaining the Golden Gophers 477 to 215. Here are five takeaways from the loss.
1. Game Changer
Despite falling behind 14-0, Syracuse stormed back and had firm control of the game. All of the momentum was with the Orange. Syracuse's defense was stopping Minnesota and the offense was moving the ball at will. Deep in Gopher territory poised to take the lead, Garrett Shrader locked on Oronde Gadsden, threw the ball behind him and it was picked off. The interception was then returned for a touchdown and Syracuse never recovered. That play completely changed the game. Shrader's numbers look impressive in the box score, but he really struggled with accuracy most of the game. I'm not sure if the conditions made it difficult for him to grip the ball or if something else was going on, but it was not a sharp performance and that mistake in particular cost Syracuse. In addition, he missed a couple of open receivers that would have been long gains if not touchdowns. Not a great afternoon for Shrader, but even with that, it was the pick six that really doomed the Orange.
2. Defense
The Syracuse defense deserves a lot of credit. Severely undermanned missing seven starters from the season opener, the MOB held Minnesota to 215 total yards and just 2.3 yards per carry. Both were season bests against power five opponents. Minnesota came in boasting one of the best rushing attacks in the country and the Orange largely shut it down. It is true that the Gophers top rusher Mohamed Ibrahim only played in the first half, but Syracuse held him to just 3.4 yards per tote on his last seven rushes. The defense came to play, which is a credit to the players and interim defensive coordinator Nick Monroe. Backup Trey Potts was averaging 4.7 yards per carry coming in, while Bryce Williams was averaging 4.9. They each were at 3.0 against Syracuse. A strong effort that is encouraging moving forward.
3. LeQuint Allen
Filling in for Sean Tucker, it was a strong first start for LeQuint Allen. He ran for 94 yards on 15 carries and made 11 catches for 60 more yards. He is a different type of runner than Tucker, but showed the ability to impact the game. The key for Allen going into next year is to add some weight to his frame so he is able to run through tackles a bit better. But he is going to be a dynamic weapon as a receiver and showed excellent vision. The running game is in good hands going into next year.
4. Young Players
Syracuse got significant contributions from young players on both sides of the ball in the absence of starters. Whether it was Allen, Enrique Cruz at left tackle, Kadin Bailey at linebacker, Elijah Fuentes at defensive tackle, Quan Peterson and Jeremiah Wilson in the secondary, etc, they played well against a nine win Big Ten team. It was another encouraging sign moving into next season. While not a young player, I wanted to give a shoutout to Devaughn Cooper for making seven catches for 114 yards in the finale of his seven year college career.
5. Disappointing End But Still A Positive Season
This loss, and the back end of the season, was disappointing. The Pinstripe Bowl in particular felt like a game Syracuse could have, and probably should have, won. It felt like Syracuse was the better team but let it slip through its fingers with the pick six and allowing a long kick return. Despite that, and despite losing six of its last seven games, the season overall was a positive one for Syracuse. It got back to a bowl, was nationally relevant for several weeks during the season and will have multiple players drafted in April. Given the injuries to key players, I think it is a positive season. Now, Syracuse certainly has things to address in the offseason. Adding depth along the offensive line. Adding size and depth along the defensive line. Looking to add a legit number one receiver to pair with Gadsden. Looking into why there are so many injuries and seeing what can be done to prevent that. It should make 2023 an intriguing season.
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