Five Takeaways: Syracuse 21 Boston College 6
Five takeaways from Syracuse's 21-6 win over Boston College on Saturday.
1. Shout out to the offensive line.
The offense line was down two pieces in Carlos Vettorello and Darius Tisdale. While it was slow going in the first half for the most part, they really turned it on in the second rushing for 225 yards after intermission. The line has undergone changes seemingly every week with different members being out or going down during a game. Yet they keep doing a fantastic job opening holes for the dynamic duo of Garrett Shrader and Sean Tucker. Teams know Syracuse is going to run. One of the main reasons it is still successful is the line. Kudos.
2. Tremendous defensive performance.
Most of the attention will go to Sean Tucker and the three touchdown surge in the third quarter. But that only matters if the defense was stout throughout Saturday's game, and it was. The Orange defense was dominant, holding Boston College to just 1.8 yards per carry and sacking Eagles quarterbacks five times. Boston College managed only 251 yards of total offense. Kingsley Jonathan led the defensive effort. He had five tackles and three sacks. Jonathan was also in on the fourth down tackle on the goal line stand in the fourth quarter. Three of BC's six points were due to a long pass play that should have been ruled incomplete. Just a great overall effort.
3. You cannot say enough about Sean Tucker.
Is there anything I can really say that has not been said or will do justice to what Tucker is doing? He is unbelievable. Every week he goes up against stacked boxes and game plans specifically designed to stop him. And every week, he rushes for over 100 yards. That is now seven straight times he has hit 100 yards, a school record. With his career high 207 yards against Boston College, he is now third on the single season rushing yards list at Syracuse. He needs only 106 yards to break Joe Morris' record. With three game left. Unbelievable.
4. Special teams were finally special.
Coming into the game, I thought that if Boston College was going to win it would be with special teams making a key play. Instead, it was Syracuse's special teams that was special in this one. Courtney Jackson's 64-yard touchdown was electrifying and really seemed to put Boston College away mentally. On top of that, punting was better. James Williams averaged 43 yards per punt, which was his highest of the season. That played a significant part in preventing Boston College from consistently having good field position. Kick coverage and punt coverage were solid as well.
5. Bye week coming at a perfect time.
Yes Syracuse is coming off of two straight wins and has momentum on its side. However, the Orange is banged up. Shrader took a shot in the Virginia Tech game and he seemed to get up a bit slow a few times against Boston College. The Orange was without two offensive linemen against the Eagles. Trebor Pena was unavailable. Chris Elmore was unavailable. There is no question that Syracuse is banged up. Having a bye week this coming week is perfect timing to allow Syracuse to heal and get ready for the final three games.
