Syracuse vs Colgate Preview: Four Things to Watch
On the heels of some exciting Week 1 Thursday matchups, your SU footballers open up their season with a regional showdown against Stan Dakosty’s Colgate squad. With a sparkling 20-0 record against FCS opponents, many are expecting not only a win, but a dominating blowout to set the stage for what is hopefully is another season of holiday bowling. For a game like this, as much as you play the schedule and the team in front of you, this is a different level of opportunity and expectations of things to come away with from this game that weren’t there in a no-holds barred rivalry matchup against Louisville last year. Here are my biggest things that SU needs to come away with beyond from this game, beyond just the win, for it to be considered a success and on schedule going into a slight step up in competition next week versus Western Michigan
BIG BOYS KEEP IT CLEAN
- The O-Line depth (or lack thereof) has been one of the oft-discussed offseason themes of this team. Four new starters are coming into this game, but my attention specifically falls on how the new bookend tackle combo of Cruz and Wohlabaugh will hold up under what will be a more pass-heavy offense with Beck at the controls. With Colgate coming off one of the least productive pass rush seasons in Division I last year (10 total sacks in 2022), this is an important opportunity for the O-Line, a chance to establish a trend of clean pockets for Shrader all year and allow for more dynamic, longer-developing routes downfield for Gadsden and company. Also, you want the process of Shrader making plays with his legs to be non-compulsory, recognizing man coverage and taking what the defense gives versus being forced out of a collapsing pocket. This O-Line needs to come out of this game having kept QB6’s jersey clean with no sacks allowed
NO CRUTCHES NECESSARY
- As much as injuries are a constant in football and a thing to be accounted for, we’d be hard pressed to see the amount of attrition that hit SU last year. Losing two starters in the opener with Stef Thompson and Chris Elmore completely changed the dynamic of this team less than 30 minutes into it. With Stef being the only one of the three starters coming off some “owies” listed on the depth chart, they’ll have to strike that balance of getting him revamped back up to game speed without running him too hot in a game that should be decided by halftime. Going purely off probability (and leaning into hopefully not originating any type of curse), I seriously doubt we’ll see history repeat itself this year. However, they’re will presumably be a bit of a gray area where the game is comfortably secured and the first-stringers will still be getting trotted out there for their last few reps. Even with the lack of sleep that this matchup has caused Coach Babers, I’m sure that the thought of keeping his surgically-repaired QB and the rest of the starters is and should undoubtedly be at the top of his priority list.
NO ROCKY STARTS FOR LONG
- Much was made, and rightfully so, about Tony White’s departure to Nebraska after leading this defense to Top 25 status in 2022. However, you won’t find many more suitable successors than the man responsible for creation of the 3-3-5. Guys at all three levels have remarked about how easy the transition is and how well Rocky Long has ingratiate himself into the culture, and this game should be a showcased to flex that muscle of a defense that aims to get back to elite status after losing four starters (possibly your four best players from last year’s Mob). A shutout against a team at any level is very to achieve, you have to have some luck go your way to completely blank a team for 60 minutes, but with the one-dimensional nature of this Colgate offense, this is the perfect opportunity to re-establish The Mob as the same dominant unit, with a chance to hone in on some of the woes they dealt with defending the run in 2022.
NEW FACES, ALL THE RIGHT PLACES
- We’ve already hit on the fresh faces on the O-Line that’ll swing the success of this season one way or the other, but there’s a litany of guys that’ll be stepping into consistent snaps this year. Most notably, Donovan Brown separated himself from Umari Hatcher and D’Marcus Adams to secure that starting slot spot. I’ll be interested to see if there's a split of reps for WR3 or if he gets the majority of the snaps. He has a knock for finding holes in zone coverage, and has shown some grit in making tough catches in the middle of the field, and I can imagine a world where he becomes a security blanket of sorts for Shrader working short and intermediate routes. Flipping to the other side, Denis Jaquez Jr. has his work cut out for him in terms of replacing Steve Linton and JT Geer as the main EDGE threat. His ability to consistently bend the edge and collapse the pocket will be a crucial determinant in whether Long will be comfortable playing base coverage and rushing just 3 or 4 guys, freeing your talented LB group make more plays on the second level, or having to blitz and scheme up creative ways to pressure opposing QBs. If Jaquez can build on a nice fall camp performance, he’ll quickly become one of most indispensable guys for The Mob, and it’ll allow for more flexibility for Long in the box.
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