Five Takeaways: Notre Dame 41 Syracuse 24
In This Story:
Syracuse football lost its first home game of the season and second straight overall on Saturday when Notre Dame knocked off the Orange 41-24. Here are five takeaways from the loss.
1. Garrett Shrader
Shrader did not look like himself from the start. It was not the pick six as much as his hesitation or unwillingness to run with the football. That is one of his biggest weapons, and he had multiple opportunities where he chose not to use it. Head coach Dino Babers indicated Shrader was hurt coming into the game. In hindsight, he probably should not have started. It really hampered the offense in the first half.
2. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson
By the time Del Rio-Wilson was inserted into the game, Syracuse was in a two touchdown hole. Still, he had some strong moments. His play sparked the offense and got the Orange back in it after some stops by the defense. Right as Syracuse had all of the momentum, he had a pass tipped and intercepted. That seemed to take the wind out of the Orange's sails and give momentum back to the Notre Dame sideline. Still, Del Rio-Wilson showed enough to have Syracuse fans excited about the future. He can really, really sling it and has tremendous arm strength. He also showed great anticipation on a few throws as well. That said, for the rest of this season, there should not be a quarterback controversy. If Shrader is healthy he is the guy. If he is not, however, you can absolutely win with Del Rio-Wilson.
3. Defense
The Syracuse defense had some strong moments. The interception by Ja'Had Carter, the back to back three and outs in the third quarter to allow the offense to get the Orange back in the game and excellent coverage on Michael Mayer most of the game. Still, the pressure on the quarterback was too inconsistent and the run defense was gashed far too often. Part of that is being down players like Stefon Thompson and Terry Lockett as well as being an undersized defensive line (generally the case with the 3-3-5). But after giving up 293 yards against Clemson and 246 against the Irish, defending the run has officially become an issue. Oh and next up? The nation's fourth best rusher (who is tops in the ACC) in Israel Abanikanda of Pittsburgh, who has rushed for 959 yards, 13 touchdowns and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Syracuse has to show improvement in that area next week.
4. Special Teams
Syracuse really struggled on special teams. Not only did Trebor Pena muff a punt (that he somehow recovered) but punting was an adventure to say the least. Max Von Marburg had multiple short punts including a shanked one that put Notre Dame at the Syracuse 35 to start a drive. When Von Marburg was taken out in favor of James Williams, Williams punt was blocked. On top of that, Syracuse allowed Notre Dame to average 12 yards per punt return. Special teams has been solid most of the year, so we will call this an unfortunate blip for now.
5. Do Not Panic
Do the two losses stall momentum for this season? No question. Does it feel like Syracuse should be at least 7-1 instead of 6-2 right now? Absolutely. But that's football. That's sports. Sometimes you have setbacks. What I do still believe is that this is a good football team. The two most difficult games on its schedule are no in the rearview mirror. In neither instance did Syracuse looked completely overmatched and that it did not belong on the same field. You take that, lean on the veteran leaders, and look to turn it around for the final four games of the season. It is also fair to point out Syracuse's November record during the last five to six years (5-19). However, in 2018 Syracuse was 3-1 in November. In 2019 Syracuse was 2-2. So they have had years where they've been good after Halloween. Four winnable games remain. Take each week at a time. See how things play out.
SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE
SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT
JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF
