We had the opportunity to exchange some questions and answers with the Syracuse SB Nation site, Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. Thanks to Christian De Guzman from their team for the insight on UConn football’s opponent this Saturday!
1) Syracuse had a lot to replace on both sides of the ball this offseason, particularly at QB, offensive skill, and all over the defense. What is the confidence level in QB Steve Angeli after Week 1?
Better than expected, honestly! Angeli is still very green, having
made only his second start of his collegiate career against Tennessee. But against a very good Volunteers defense, Angeli held up as best he could. He got the ball out quickly and there’s some good zip on his passes. The sacks he took were mostly not his fault. There are mobility concerns out of the pocket still, but overall I wasn’t overly concerned with Angeli’s play.
2) Same question for the defense, what’s your evaluation of how the D-line, LBs and secondary held up against Tennessee?
Ah… well then… about that…
What I will say is that as the game progressed, the pass defense seemed to get more comfortable. The run defense, on the other hand, was less than great. A big reason for that was a lack of good tackling. If run coverage improves, that’s great. But it means nothing if open-field tackling doesn’t massively improve. Syracuse fans are hoping that the tackling issues are largely due to a physicality difference going against Tennessee.
3) Syracuse’s preseason over/under win total was 5.5 after a 10-win season. Part of that seems to be based on a tough schedule this year, but it does look like people are expecting the Orange to take a step back in Year 2 under Fran Brown after such a strong debut. Where were preseason expectations among the fanbase and how have they changed after Week 1?
5.5 is a fantastic over/under win total to set as the reason for the tough schedule is Syracuse’s road foes. The Orange play Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami and Notre Dame on the road. Syracuse either has to go perfect at home or steal one of those games on the road to get to a bowl game. After the first game, I’ve got some increased confidence that Syracuse can hit the over. The scoreline looked bad, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Orange hung around with a team that made the College Football Playoff last year. I think there’s room for improvement that can drive Syracuse back to a bowl.
4) Who are the dangerous players to watch when Syracuse has the ball?
Good luck stopping Yasin Willis and Johntay Cook. Willis is Syracuse’s next high-profile running back, following the shoes of Sean Tucker and LeQuint Allen. His play style is a lot different from them. Willis will look to use his physicality and brutality to muscle his way past guys while surprising with good speed. Cook on the other hand can catch nearly anything coming his way and he can burn anyone for pace at any point.
5) How do Cuse fans feel about having UConn on the schedule? And what’s your prediction for the game?
I think how fans feel is, sadly, different from how administration feels. With apologies, UConn is an easier opponent football-wise that Syracuse needs to just get into the win column. Administration wants to schedule more high-profile games, which is what led the Orange to this tough schedule in the first place. I’m of the mindset that Syracuse needs to be scheduling easier non-conference opponents more like UConn to get easy wins. I know this game was close in the scoreline last year, but Syracuse has some real talent again, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Give me a 35-24 Syracuse win.
