Five Takeaways from Syracuse's Loss to Boston College
1. JaCobian Morgan Showed Potential
Freshman quarterback JaCobian Morgan flashed quite a bit in the loss to Boston College. He showed the ability to keep his eyes downfield when escaping the pocket, and then was able to make some impressive touch throws including the one to Anthony Queeley in the first quarter. Yes he had some mistakes, such as the interception on a pass to Harris (good read, poor throw), or holding the ball too long leading to sacks. But for a true freshman in his first start, it was largely positive. He did not appear to wilt in the moment. Morgan was poised, showed nice touch, went through his progressions and made some plays. There were also several big gains called back due to penalty. All in all, there was a lot to like about Morgan's first start and plenty to build on.
2. The Defense Was Gashed, but Made Critical Stops
The run defense was not good for most of the game against Boston College. David Bailey ran for 125 yards and averaged over five yards per carry. Travis Levy added 73 more as the Eagles piled up 191 rushing yards overall. That is not a good performance. That said, they made some critical stops when needed. Despite Boston College moving the ball, Syracuse forced five field goal attempts, two of which were missed. They got two important third down stops in the fourth quarter to give the Orange offense a chance to tie the game. Yes they need to shore up the run defense, but getting important stops was a positive. The other area that did not help Syracuse was forcing turnovers. For the second straight game, they did not create a turnover. Syracuse needs to create those opportunities to give the offense a short field.
3. Third Down Haunts Syracuse Yet Again
Just like it was an issue against Wake Forest, and seemingly all season, Syracuse struggled on third down on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Syracuse was just 3-11 on third down. This was partially the result of not being able to run the ball consistently, setting up third and long situations. This was also partially due to having a couple of third down conversions called back due to penalty. So there is plenty to work on offensively in that area. Defensively, Syracuse allowed Boston College to convert 10 of 19 third downs. That kept the defense on the field longer and prevented the offense from getting the ball back with solid field position. Syracuse never seemed to be able to gain momentum in this game, and third downs were a big reason why. With so many young players (Syracuse started two freshmen on offense and five on defense), this can happen. But in order to get another win before the season is over, Syracuse has to improve third down efficiency.
4. Boston College Picked on Aman Greenwood
When Boston College threw the ball down the field, they attacked Aman Greenwood regularly. He gave up some big plays, and nearly another. This is the position that would normally be manned by Trill Williams, but he opted out and declared for the NFL Draft last week. Greenwood has been solid this season as a youngster thrust into a larger role than anticipated, but the plan by the Eagles was clearly to test him. And it worked. The touchdown at the end of the first half, the only touchdown from the Eagles in the game, came when Zay Flowers beat Greenwood in down field coverage. Earlier in the half, Flowers beat Greenwood on a similar corner route, but the ball was overthrown. A good throw results in a touchdown. With teams like Louisville, NC State and Notre Dame that like to attack through the air, Greenwood needs to work on those issues in order to further strengthen the secondary.
5. Syracuse Needs to Use Tempo More Often
On Syracuse's best offensive drives, the ones that resulted in two field goals and the late touchdown, they used tempo. It was successful against the Boston College defense. In other drives, they either did not or could not go tempo. Why could they not? It is tough to go tempo if first and second downs are a one yard gain or an incomplete pass. Still, going forward, I think Syracuse needs to force the tempo. It was clear that Morgan was more comfortable in it, the offense gained rhythm from it, and the defense was on its heels. This should be a primary focus during the bye week.
