The Key to Syracuse's Success in 2022? Be Better in the Second Quarter
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The Louisville Cardinals have beaten Syracuse the last three years, including their 41-3 win over the Orange last year. Syracuse is looking to break that streak in their season opener this weekend.
After starting their season 3-1 last year, the Orange struggled in conference play with their only wins coming from their games against Virginia Tech and Boston College.
Diving deeper into the game by game statistics of last year’s season, there seems to be an interesting part of the game where the Orange struggle the most. The second quarter. The second quarter is the only quarter in which the Orange had a negative point differential.
Throughout the entire 2021 season, in the second quarter Syracuse had a -44 differential in points scored. Looking at all the quarters in their games, the breakdown is +17 in the 1st quarter, +11 in the 3rd quarter, and +2 in the 4th quarter.
So what happened to the Orange in the 2nd quarter?
I broke down each game last season and looked at what the point differential in the second quarter was.
Non-conference games
At Ohio- Win, -3
Vs. Rutgers- Loss, 0
Vs. Albany- Win, +24
Vs. Liberty- Win, +7
ACC Games
At Florida State- Loss, 0
Vs. Wake Forest- Loss, 0
Vs. Clemson- Loss, -7
At Virginia Tech- Win, -6
Vs. Boston College- Win, -3
At Louisville- Loss, -21
At NC State- Loss, -21
Vs. Pittsburgh- Loss, -14
Before starting conference play last season, the Orange were outscoring their opponents 41-13 in the second quarter. Once conference play started, the second quarter took a negative turn for Syracuse, which was -72 against ACC opponents in that quarter.
In wins, Syracuse was +19 in the second. In losses, Syracuse was -63.
Although they won at Virginia Tech and against Boston College at home, the team’s scoring power in the second quarter proved inadequate to beat a majority of their opponents.
Numerous factors could have contributed to this slump in the second quarter. Their opponents may have adjusted their defensive strategy to neutralize Syracuse’s rush heavy offense. Defensively, the Orange’s opponents may have found a weak spot and capitalized on it to get more points on the board before heading into the half.
Syracuse’s season opener against Louisville will be a challenging game for the Orange, especially if they keep this pattern before halftime up. After getting out scored 35-3 in the first half against the Cardinals last season, the Orange were unable to bounce back and get any points on the board.
In order to bank their first win of the season against the Cardinals, Syracuse will have to attack the second quarter aggressively. The Cardinals held Syracuse to their only touchdown-less game of the season.
On the other hand, Louisville’s QB Malik Cunningham threw for four touchdowns and ran one in against the Orange last year. Syracuse’s defense will have to adjust to Cunningham’s passing game if they want to be able to come out with a win in the Dome on Saturday.
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