I refuse to use that new panther head.
Syracuse has crossed the midpoint of their season, and after an extra day off due to having a Thursday night game the week before, take on Pittsburgh in primetime on a Friday night from the Dome. But will Syracuse end up winning this longstanding rivalry game and get back above .500?
This game might as well be the Spider-man pointing at Spider-man picture, as these two teams look pretty close on paper. Pittsburgh's big win came a few weeks ago, when they beat UCF at home (preventing them from claiming another fake Natty Champ, so at least thanks for that). They're 4-2 on the season, just slightly better than Syracuse. Both teams have capable offenses marred by less than optimal offensive lines. Both teams have decent defenses that have been able to pass rush well and pressure quarterbacks. So the biggest matchup of the day will clearly be if Tommy DeVito is close to 100% and will be able to stand in the pocket and deliver, or to a lesser extent make plays on the ground, against a pretty talented Pittsburgh defense. Is Tommy 100%? I have no idea, and we won't know until probably the second or third offensive drive for Syracuse. That is definitely the big X Factor. If DeVito is healthy and will be able to make plays, and to a lesser extent, Syracuse uses the passing to open up the run game (as opposed to the opposite plan at NC State), Syracuse should be able to move the ball against Pittsburgh. The thing about Syracuse and Pittsburgh is no matter how good each team is on paper going in, they always seem to be close games. Take last season's overtime game for example. 1 TD last year, 3 points in 2017, 76-61 shootout in 2016, 3 point game in 2015. This game will be close. It probably will come down to turnovers and just plain luck. Either way, only because Syracuse is home. I'll take Syracuse over Pittsburgh 34 to 31.
This game is available nationally on ESPN at 7:00pm. John will be in the Dome. I'll be watching and partially on RefWatch. GO ORANGE!
Labels: ACC, Football, Pittsburgh, Preview
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