Welcome to Worcester. $1.25 Bishop.
Syracuse got back on the right track last week, with a nice breakout for Tommy DeVito and the offense putting the ball into the end zone. Syracuse now has FCS Holy Cross coming in. Which means the offense should keep scoring and improving for another week.
Holy Cross comes in 1-2 on the year, losing to Navy in their opener 45-7, and then losing to powerhouse Yale last week. But they are first in the Patriot League, so that's something. Interestingly, they play both Syracuse and Georgetown in football this season. Anyway, not much analysis is necessary in this one. Moe Neal should run for a few big runs. Touchdown Tommy should earn a few more. We saw Syracuse get the tight ends involved in the offense more last week, so that should continue this week as it won't be as necessary to use them to block. Syracuse should roll fairly large. 51 to 17.
This game is again available nationally on the ACC Network at the ol' nooner slot. John is in the Dome. I'm listed as "Out" on the injury report. As per usual. GO ORANGE!
Syracuse can't have a hangover after Clemson again.
Syracuse, not too surprisingly, lost to #1 Clemson last week. While a sold out Carrier Dome would have loved the upset, it was not meant to be. But that means Syracuse can't have a hangover and they need to get another win.
Western Michigan and Syracuse opened the season last year in Michigan with a shootout. This year, Syracuse is obviously without Eric Dungey, but Tommy Touchdown is equally as capable of making big passes. And the good news is, Western Michigan doesn't have as good of a running back or secondary as Clemson. The bottom line is, of course, this game may be close, but Syracuse should pull away in the 2nd half. Syracuse, despite some offensive line troubles, and a less gaudy offensive putout as last season, shouldn't lose to a MAC team, despite #MACTION. Tim Lester can dial up what he wants, but Syracuse will, as always, have to limit big plays. I'm taking the Orange in this one though. 31 to 24.
This game is available on the ACC Network at Nooner. I'll again be watching after broadcast, but John will be in the house. Syracuse should enjoy a nice home win, despite the crowd not being as big as last week. Nooner doesn't help, but the higher amount of season tickets purchased should still make this an exciting home atmosphere. Have fun, and GO ORANGE!
It's up to Syracuse to stop Clemson from running away with another title.
The Dome is sold out. Tons of alumni are back on campus. It's HOMECOMING, and Syracuse is facing the #1 team in the country. And the Orange have been the only team to prove they can even challenge Clemson the last few years besides Alabama (and Pittsburgh that one time). Will Syracuse be victorious at home again?
Syracuse comes in after a dreadful defensive performance at Maryland, allowing 63 points. Syracuse couldn't seem to stop a Pop Warner team last week from moving the ball. The main battle will be the defensive pass rushing vs. the offensive lines. Syracuse has shown their offensive line to be iffy. And Syracuse was able to compete last season against Clemson by getting to the Quarterback and knocking Trevor Lawrence out of the game for Clemson. Syracuse should be able to pressure the quarterback a little but, but the question is then if Lawrence is able to make a throw, can Syracuse cover the receivers and prevent the big chunk plays they allowed at Maryland. Syracuse should actually keep this game close going into the half. But this year is not last year. While DeVito is a good quarterback, he needs to play like he did at UNC last year, making big plays. He has to channel his inner Eric Dungey and just be a playmaker and keep the chains moving. Syracuse doesn't need to have a track meet to win, but it needs to be pretty close. And while the Dome will clearly give them the advantage with the big crowd, Clemson should be too much this time. Syracuse will fade in the 2nd half, keeping the score more respectable than last week, but still lose a game to the clear frontrunner to win the Natty Champ. Clemson over Syracuse 45 to 32.
This game is available nationally on ABC at 7:30pm. John is in the Dome. I'm out of commission again this Saturday. As always, GO ORANGE and enjoy Homecoming!
Labels: ACC, Football, Homecoming, Preview
A turtle is about as intimidating as a big orange.
Syracuse had a flat start on offense against Liberty in Week 1. But that was Week 1. Can Syracuse come out throwing and dominating a team on the road to start the year 2-0?
Tommy DeVito really looked like he had some Week 1 yips. He really didn't have any pressure on him coming in to try and win against UNC last year. But this year, it's the DeVito show. He knows that. And after his first win, and another week of game prep, he should come out firing on the first couple of series, backed up by some solid runs, and I think Syracuse will be off and running. Maryland had a huge game against an HBCU last week, and won by over 70. But anyone that is a D1 FBS team should have been able to do that. Maryland has a lot to prove this week, and the Syracuse pass rush will be a lot bigger and tougher than Howard was. No chance Maryland will be ready to block everyone they need to block. While this game will probably be close than Syracuse fans will like, this should be a solid win to set up next week's showdown. And no, I don't think Syracuse will be looking past this one, like they may have in the past. Syracuse over the Terps 34 to 24.
This game is available on ESPN, the flagship, at nooner. Both John and I will be watching, however I'll have to bag out of the 2nd half. Either way, I expect a nice win today. And as always, GO ORANGE.