Disturbing Trend for Syracuse's Defense

The Orange has to correct a major problem with their defense.

Syracuse's defense has been pretty good heading into their matchup with Duke on Saturday. In the loss, they forced four more turnovers to move into first place nationally in that category. Despite that, Syracuse lost the game by two touchdowns thanks in large part to their run defense. 

Duke ran for 363 yards against the Orange, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. It was the worst defensive performance against the run of the season for Syracuse, in something that is becoming a disturbing trend. Teams are clearly focused on exploiting the 3-3-5 on the ground, specifically between the tackles. There are natural gaps that form as a result of the alignment, and opponents have figured out that a power rushing attack puts a lot of pressure on the scheme. 

It started with North Carolina, who ran for 160 yards in the season opener including 4.5 yards per carry. Pittsburgh did not have as much success the next week as they ran for 127 yards but averaged just 2.9 yards per attempt. The last two weeks, Syracuse has been flat out gashed on the ground. 

In Syracuse's 37-20 win over Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets ran for 275 yards on 5.3 yards per carry. Jahmyr Gibbs had 105 yards on just 15 carries while backup Dontae Smith added 75 on eight carries. Duke had two players rush for over 160 yards as Deon Jackson ran for 171 yards and Mataeo Durant racked up 163. 

The more teams study film, the more they have attacked Syracuse with the inside power run game. That will only continue as the season progresses, meaning the Orange has to make an adjustment to limit teams' effectiveness. 

Next week Syracuse faces Liberty, who ranks fifth in the nation at over 270 rushing yards per game. After that is Clemson, who has one of the best backs in the nation in Travis Etienne. Still on the schedule are Louisville (over 180 yards per game), Wake Forest (over 160 yards per game) and Notre Dame (over 220 yards per game). Syracuse needs to make adjustments now or it will continue to be a major weakness for the rest of the season.