Five Takeaways: Syracuse 24 NC State 9
Syracuse football picked up an impressive 24-9 win over #15 NC State on Saturday to become 6-0 (3-0) and bowl eligible. Here are five takeaways from the victory.
1. The Mob Came to Play
The Syracuse defense was fantastic on Saturday. It held NC State to 255 yards of total offense, only 2.5 yards per carry on the ground, sacked the Wolfpack quarterbacks four times and kept them out of the end zone. The only thing the defense did not do was force a turnover. Every other box was checked including holding NC State to 5-16 on third down conversions. Jatius Geer was a force as a pass rusher and was held several times despite no calls. He led the team with 1.5 sacks on the afternoon. Marlowe Wax, Derek McDonald and Mikel Jones were all over the field, combining for 26 tackles. The secondary held NC State to just 160 passing yards.
2. Teams Still Can't Figure Out Oronde Gadsden
It was a career day for Syracuse's starting tight end. Gadsden had eight catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 31 catches for 507 yards and five touchdowns on the season, on pace for 62 catches for 1,014 yards and 10 scores. Gadsden is the clear top target for Syracuse's passing attack. Opposing teams know this and game plan to stop it, yet still cannot figure out a way to do so. NC State is a very good defensive team. They have high quality athletes all over the defense but Gadsden gashed them all night long. He is having a stellar season and does not appear to be slowing down any time soon.
3. Sean Tucker Was Sean Tucker
Sean Tucker looked like himself for the first time against real competition (the Wagner game was not that). He was explosive, got the second level, made some unbelievable cuts to make defenders miss and racked up 98 yards on just 14 carries to go along with a game sealing touchdown. The only complaint is that Syracuse probably should have gotten him the ball a bit more. The Orange needs Tucker to be that version of himself as the schedule continues to get more difficult.
4. Injuries Starting to Pile Up
Syracuse lost Garrett Williams in this game to injury. He went off the field in the first quarter after making a tackle and was in the medical tent for quite some time. He came out of the locker room at halftime without his pads. Dino Babers did not provide update on his status after the game. If Syracuse is without him for any length of time, that would be a significant loss. Williams and Duce Chestnut are perhaps the best cornerback duo in the ACC. There is depth in the secondary, and Isaiah Johnson was very good in relief. Jeremiah Wilson is a true freshman, but had a tremendous fall camp to earn a spot on the depth chart. In addition, other players went down during the game although they were able to return including Mikel Jones. This may be the deepest team that Dino Babers has had, but man is it getting tested with these injuries. Syracuse was already down several starters before this game and needs to remain healthy to continue to pile up wins.
5. Bowl Eligible and a Showdown
Did anyone have Syracuse achieving bowl eligibility in mid-October? Syracuse may jump into the top 15 this week and is one of only nine unbeaten teams in the country. Just a fantastic job by the players and coaching staff. That 6-0 start, including 3-0 in conference play, sets up a showdown in the ACC Atlantic that may very well determine who goes to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game. This will be the first time a 6-0 Syracuse team faced another team 6-0 or better since 1959 when the Orange faced 7-0 Penn State. Syracuse won the national championship that year. Crazy.
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