Five Takeaways: Syracuse Tops Ohio
Here are my five takeaways from Syracuse's 29-9 road win at Ohio on Saturday.
1. Duce Chestnut is the Real Deal
What a debut for the true freshman. Dino Babers said after the game he cannot remember a better debut for a defensive back, and he may be right. Many point to Andre Cisco as he had a spectacular freshman season in 2018. However, in Cisco's first game, he had one interception and one pass defensed. Cisco did not record any tackles. Not only did Chestnut match those stats, but he added eight tackles including a team high five solo tackles. He was strong in coverage, showed tremendous instincts and football IQ, especially for a freshman. Chestnut's tackling in the open field was the most impressive. Usually young defensive backs are inconsistent in that area, but Duce looked like a savvy veteran in his collegiate debut.
2. Sean Tucker is Special
Expectations were high for Sean Tucker entering his second season after a strong freshman campaign. He found a way to surpass those with a career high 181 yards against Ohio. The Bobcats simply had no answer for Tucker. He got to the second level, added yards after contact, made tacklers miss and found his way into the end zone. Is Tucker deserving of unretiring the legendary number 44? If he keeps running like this, the answer is a resounding yes.
3. Improved Offensive Line Play
The offensive line took a tangible step forward against Ohio. Of course there is a lot of room for improvement, but it was notable how much more competent the group looked compared to the last two years. Part of that is health, part of that is the impact of a new o-line coach and part of that is development of individual players. Chris Bleich is absolutely the read deal. He was superb in run blocking, opening holes for several chunk runs. In total, the line paved the way for a 283 yard rushing performance and only allowed one sack. Competition level will certainly increase as the season goes along, but this was about as solid an outing as one could have oped for in the opener given the last two seasons.
4. Solid Game from DeVito, Surprised at Lack of Shrader Though
Tommy DeVito did not have a spectacular season opener, but he was extremely solid. DeVito showed better pocket presence than the last seasons, completed a few throws where he stepped into pressure and took a hit right after he threw an accurate pass. In the RPO game, his decisions were just about flawless. He gave the ball to the back when situations warranted, and kept the ball at the right times as well. He finished 11-17 for 92 yards and ran for 47 more with a rushing touchdown. There were a couple of passes that DeVito would like to have back. A pass in the end zone to Taj Harris that was just a hair off in what would have been a touchdown, and a deep ball to Harris that also just a hair off from being a big completion. While DeVito did not do anything that warranted a quick hook, and he kept the offense moving for the most part, it was still surprising to not see Garrett Shrader at all until the final minutes in mop up duty. I would expect more of him against Rutgers in week two.
5. Need a Better Pass Rush
While the defense was pretty solid against Ohio, shutting down a rushing attack that has had a lot of success over the last two seasons, there was still an area that needs to be better moving forward. That was the pass rush. For context, Syracuse did not really blitz against Ohio, and there was a whole lot of uncalled holding against the Ohio offensive line. There were a few instances where there was essentially a choke hold by the Ohio offensive lineman, putting an arm around the neck of a Syracuse pass rusher and pulling backwards. That prevented at least a couple of sacks. Still, there was not consistency pressuring the quarterback. Part of that could be game plan as well, given the emphasis on stopping Ohio's rushing attack. It is something worth monitoring moving forward, however, to see if it becomes a trend.
