Wake Forest Football: Syracuse Team Overview
The Deacs suffered a heartbreaking 36-34 home loss to the Tar Heels on Saturday. Looking to bounce back, Wake faces Syracuse this weekend in their final home game of the season. With both teams currently holding 6-4 records, this game is critical for both bowl placement and ACC seeding.
Let’s take a look at Wake Forest’s opponent.
Matchup History:
Having faced off only 11 times in their series history, Syracuse currently holds a 6-5 advantage over Wake Forest.
The Deacs have won their last two battles with the Orange. Last year, Wake Forest came away with a 40-37 victory in an overtime thriller.
Syracuse in 2022:
After opening the season 6-0, Syracuse has dropped their last four games. Suffering losses to Clemson, Notre Dame, Pitt and Florida State, the Orange will look to right the ship against the Deacs.
Syracuse X-Factor: RB Sean Tucker
Over Syracuse’s last four games, Sean Tucker is averaging just 46.3 rushing yards per game. Compared to his rushing average over the Orange’s first six games — where Tucker averaged 107.3 yards per game — his offensive impact has drastically declined.
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The correlation between the usage of Tucker in Syracuse’s wins vs losses is evident and may be more than just a coincidence. Syracuse is averaging a measly 14.3 points per game over their last four contests, a dramatic decrease from their 36.0 average during the undefeated start.
Offense:
Led by junior quarterback Garrett Shrader and Tucker, the Syracuse offense has great potential. That potential faltered heavily during the losing streak — due to a Shrader injury, the Orange had to turn to backup Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. But, with Shrader likely back after playing against Florida State, Syracuse might just rekindle their offensive firepower.
In his fourth year, Shrader was having the best season of his college career before getting hurt. Completing 64.9% of his passes for 1,701 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions, he’s taken a big leap as the starting quarterback.
Along with his passing ability, Shrader is also a very talented rusher. On 111 attempts, Shrader has totaled 371 yards and six touchdowns as the leading rusher behind Sean Tucker.
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6’5” sophomore receiver Oronde Gadsden II has emerged as the favorite target of Shrader. On 42 catches this season, Gadsden II has tallied 700 yards and six touchdowns.
This season, the aforementioned Tucker has rushed for 829 yards on 169 attempts and seven touchdowns. As a receiver, he's added 35 catches for 250 yards and two touchdown receptions.
Defense:
The Syracuse defense started strong through its 6-0 start, but has struggled ever since. Through 10 games, the Orange have allowed opponents to score 20.4 points per game.
Syracuse has been a different team after a crushing loss to the Clemson Tigers. Over these first six games, Cuse surrendered just 13.2 points per game. Throughout their four-game skid, opponents have had great success, scoring an average of 31.3.
READ: Takeaways from Wake Forest's heartbreaking loss to UNC
Leading the Cuse defense is junior linebacker Mikel Jones. Elected as a captain this summer, Jones has added to his impressive resumé this season. Through 10 games, Jones has tallied 81 tackles (47 solo), four sacks and a forced fumble.
Junior defensive lineman Caleb Okechukwu leads the team in sacks with 4.5, adding 38 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble to his stat sheet. Sophomore defensive back Ja’Had Carter has nabbed three interceptions this season, a team high.
Like their offense, the Syracuse defense has been in a slump. But, if they can get pressure to quarterback Sam Hartman, they might just find a way to turn it around.
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