Highlights & Recap: Syracuse Impressive in Road Win at Purdue
Syracuse’s first test against a power five opponent, playing on the road and under the lights did not disappoint. The Orange took control early with a fourth down stop followed by an early touchdown to quiet the crowd en route to a 35-20 victory.
The ACC Big Ten match-up was what you would expect with a battle of the run game; however, the run came more from quarterbacks than it did from running backs.
Garrett Shrader finished with a career-high record of four rushing touchdowns and had more rushing yards alone (195) than if LeQuint Allen and all of Purdue’s rushing yards (160) were added together.
Babers said the game plan coming into West Lafayette was for Shrader to use his legs more than usual, but even Shrader admitted that he may have used them a bit too much. The reason being that every time Shrader scrambles out of the pocket, Syracuse fans hold their breath knowing the health risk that comes with leaving yourself vulnerable to a big hit.
That is no concern when the fake hand offs are so deceiving and Shrader can run into the end zone untouched. Babers said the naked bootleg play is something they practice all the time. The team tends to love working on the art of a fake handoff because if they can fool Babers’ who is standing directly behind the play, he must do a form of physical punishment and the team knows they have it ready to go for a game.
The one area Syracuse was exposed to last night was in the passing game. There was a clear lack of connection between Shrader and his receivers. One thing to note is Babers said it was their first night game of the season. As a receiver the challenge of having a different backdrop of the night sky and not the usual white dome Syracuse can be challenging but make no mistake Babers still expects them to catch the ball. Even after all of the drops Saturday night, Shrader remains unfazed.
“I trust those guys,” said Shrader. “There was a lot of balls dropped that we should have had but we’ll get that fixed net week and make those plays.”
As for the defense who came into this match-up only giving up 3.5 points per game, they showed how they can compete and win in high pressure situations. There were multiple times Purdue knocked on the door and gaining momentum bringing the score within one touchdown. In those moments is when Marlowe Wax, Josh Barron, Derek McDonald and others played big. In total, the defense forced seven fumbles, recovered three and picked off a pass for four total turnovers.
A reason behind the defense’s success is their new leader, defensive coordinator Rocky Long, who continues to show the endless possibilities in the 3-3-5 defense. Wax shared how Coach Long drew up an entirely new play for the defense in two minutes at half time. The defensive team quickly bought in and was able to execute the play for the third and fourth quarter when it counted most.
The team traveled 655 miles back to Syracuse with an appreciation for what they did, but also a realization of where they need to grow. The team will now enter a two-week home stretch and put all eyes forward on their next opponent Army.
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