Orange Defense Enters Different Type of Battle Against Army
Syracuse, N.Y.-- Doubters entering the season believed that the Syracuse Orange defense would see a drop-off in production after losing so many key pieces. Through the first three weeks of the season, “The Mob” is proving that the group is here to stay as one of the best defenses in the country.
Syracuse became a top-25 defense in the NCAA during the 2021 campaign, holding opponents to under 331 total yards per game in back-to-back seasons. With the addition of defensive coordinator Rocky Long, “The Mob” is top-25 in seven different defensive categories in the nation. It displays how the Orange has versatility on defense, as the top red zone defense, fourth in points allowed per game (lowest since the 1983 season at 9 per game), and sixth in turnovers gained (8).
But this week against Army, it’s a particular task for the defense that “The Mob” hasn’t endured up to this point. Instead of a balanced offensive attack, they’ll be facing an offense scheme that hasn’t seen much evolution since Jim Brown, Floyd Little, and Ernie Davis were on the gridiron for the Orange. For a game with so much emphasis on the ground game, Syracuse will have their work cut out for them down in the trenches.
Unsurprisingly, Army ranks ninth in the country in rushing at 235.7 yards per game, just four yards higher than 10th-ranked Syracuse. The Orange has done a great job bottling up the opposition’s rushing attack against Colgate, Western Michigan, and Purdue. They have the 14th-best rushing defense in the country, only allowing 77 yards per game. It’s no secret on what should expect from Army, and Cuse knows what is needed to get the job done.
“We know that they changed their offense a little bit, but it’s all really the same. They get down and run the ball, run a lot of options, so we just have to play tougher and harder than them,” captain linebacker Marlowe Wax said.
Wax enters his program-best 29th consecutive start for the Orange on Saturday and is coming off arguably the most dynamic game of his college career against Purdue. The Baltimore, Maryland native went into West Lafayette, Indiana posting eight solo tackles, three assists, two forced fumbles, an interception, and a sack. He became the first play since Dave Rebar in 1994 to have an interception and two forced fumbles in the same game.
One of the reasons for Wax’s success, specifically in the second half, was the adjustments coach Long made for the Orange defense. He made a new scheme that focused on the front seven of the defense and that ability to adjust on the fly guided Syracuse to a 35-20 victory. Even with only minimal games under his belt with the Orange, the Godfather of the 3-5-5 defense has hundreds of games throughout this coaching career as a resource to help him now with Syracuse. Wax and company already have a good idea of what to expect from Army from coach Long’s tutelage.
“We also know with Army that they have this rule where if it’s fourth and four or lower they’re going for it on fourth down. So we’re ready for that. We also gotta get that three-down mindset out of us because we know they’re going for it on fourth,” Wax said.
Even with all of the good that Syracuse has going on defensively, there are some spots to be polished in the final non-conference game of the season. The glaring concern is the amount of penalties Cuse has had so far this season. Army is the second-least penalized team in the country with seven overall in three games. Syracuse is one of the most penalized teams in the country at over eight per game.
“Also with penalties, we’ve been having way too many. We know that Army’s… not going to have too many, so we have to focus on that in the upcoming practices,” Wax said.
Syracuse returns to the JMA Dome to face Army for the first time since 1996. The Orange have won seven of the last eight matchups and lead the all-time series 11-10 that dates back to 1899. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. and will be available on ACC Network, the Syracuse Sports Network Learfield, and locally on WAER 88.3 FM.
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