Five Takeaways: Wake Forest 45 Syracuse 35
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Syracuse lost at Wake Forest 45-35 on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the loss.
1. Defense
The Syracuse defense was shredded all night by Wake Forest's offense. Mikel Jones went down in the first quarter and did not return, which certainly had an impact. But even considering that, the defense still offered no resistance. The Demon Deacons had did whatever it wanted whether it was on the ground or through the air. I expected Syracuse's secondary to perform a bit better. Yes Wake has an incredible quarterback and fantastic wide receivers, but that performance made it very difficult for Syracuse to win. Two subpar performances in a row for the Orange defense that has to figure out a way to be better in the regular season finale despite its injuries.
2. Garrett Shrader
Shrader finally looked much more like the quarterback we saw in the first six games of the season. He finished 17-31 for 324 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while adding a rushing touchdown. Shrader looked more accurate and moved much better than he had in several weeks. That allowed the offense to move the ball much more effectively, racking up 477 yards of total offense with 35 points. If he is, in fact, healthy again, that bodes well for Syracuse's season finale at Boston College. There were still some issues, such as missing a couple of open receivers that stalled drives, or taking those two sacks at the end of the first half that seemed to completely change momentum, but it was largely a positive performance from Shrader.
3. Sean Tucker
Tucker ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns while looking more explosive and elusive than most of the season. Syracuse was also more creative with its rushing attack as well, which certainly helped Tucker. The only criticism was that, as good as he was looking, it would have been nice to get him more than 16 carries. That said, given the deficit in the fourth quarter, Syracuse pretty much had to pass the ball exclusively. Still, a solid performance from the Syracuse rushing attack and Tucker.
4. Offensive Line
Syracuse was without three starters along the offensive line in Matthew Bergeron, Chris Bleich and Kalan Ellis. Without those three, the offensive line actually performed very well. Josh Ilaoa played center, Dakota Davis slid from tackle to guard, Carlos Vettorello moved out to tackle, Enrique Cruz started at the other tackle spot. The revised offensive line looked strong for most of the game. Yes they gave up three sacks, but two of those were at the end of the first half and more a result of Shrader holding the ball too long than poor pass protection. With so many young guys playing, it was very encouraging for the future of the line.
5. What now?
There is no question that five straight losses is discouraging. Disappointing. Upsetting. However, Syracuse finally showed signs offensively for the first time in weeks despite a mismatched offensive line. That should provide hope for the regular season finale. Even with the five game losing streak, if Syracuse can beat Boston College next week to improve to 7-5, it should, overall, be viewed as a positive season. Syracuse's FBS opponents have a combined 70-40 record with nine of 10 teams being bowl eligible. It was a tough schedule. There were still missed opportunities (at Clemson, at Pittsburgh), but it should be viewed as a step forward. A bowl win getting to eight wins would only further that, but we have to see who plays in that game before getting too caught up in the results.
Bonus: LeQuint Allen
Syracuse's reserve running back quietly had a very solid night. He had the touchdown pass in the first half on a trick play and added two catches for 50 yards with another score. On the 41 yard touchdown catch, Allen showed great balance and speed. He tiptoed the sideline while also eluding tacklers on his way to the score. There is no question that Syracuse will miss Tucker next season. But Allen looks every bit the part of a future lead back, which is encouraging.
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