It’s easy for a lot of Syracuse fans to say that Steve Angeli’s injury is the reason why the Orange offense has played poorly the last two games. The nearly two and a half games with Rickie Collins at quarterback
has seen a definite step back in the offense’s performance….but is it all on the quarterback?
When you dig into the numbers, a couple of spots stand out so let’s look at them:
Unlocking the running game
A lot of fans have been screaming for Jeff Nixon to call more running plays. Fran Brown has said Willis needs more carries….but that can’t be the only approach to get more from the ground attack. PFF numbers show that Syracuse has done it’s best work running to the right of center Austin Collins. That works when the defense is spread out to defend the pass, but if teams commit more defenders on the interior, you will see more stuffed attempts.
One issue with trying to get anything off-tackle is that all four players who have seen snaps at tight end have PFF run blocking grades below 60. If the outside blockers aren’t holding up, there will be no where for the runners to bounce it out, and you get edge defenders able to crash the middle.
The Orange have only run the ball with wide receivers on three occasions with Johntay Cook, Darrell Gill and Tyshawn Russell getting one carry each. Could an extra week give Nixon time to dial up some different looks to try and get the ball in space.
More Play-Action
If you can run the ball, then you can get back to more play-action passes. Steve Angeli had 24.7% of his pass attempts come on play-action. Rickie Collins has had 8.1% of his attempts via play-action and in a small sample size, he’s just 1-8 with the 1 completion a touchdown in those situations.
Part of the success of play-action was hitting bigger plays because if you can get the linebackers and safeties biting on the run, you can hit throws over the top.
Angeli was 30-56 on throws of 10+ yards. Collins is 14-36 and as long as defenses can crowd the box, it will be tougher for Syracuse to attack in the way this offense is built. This scheme is designed to pick up some chunk yardage by setting defenses up with runs up the middle and quick throws and then hitting a big play.
Spread the ball around
We have been led to believe that Justus Ross-Simmons is likely out this week and while he’s second on the team in targets, his completion rate on those targets is 48% on the season. JRS is incredibly valuable in the red zone and key situations, but if the Orange and Collins can avoid forcing throws his way and take the best match-up, you can find more success.
One of the best aspects of last season was how Syracuse countered their opponents. If teams wanted to take away Gadsden, Pena would feast. When opponents focused on both of them, Jackson Meeks picked apart single coverage and LeQuint Allen was a weapon out of the backfield. The Orange don’t have that experience, but the wide receiver corps is deep and it’s time to get more of them involved in the passing game.
Keeping the pocket clean
The Orange offensive line has not adjusted to the quarterback change. Collins is being pressured on 30.8% of his drop backs while only being blitzed 32.4% of the time. Prior to his injury, Angeli was pressured on 32.4% of throws while being blitzed 57.5% of the time.
The fact that opponents are creating pressure without blitzing means they are in better position when Collins is forced to throw. Syracuse’s offensive line needs to keep the pocket clean so Collins can work through progressions and not force passes into coverage. The tackles have struggled in pass protection and there’s hope starter Trevion Mack is closer to 100% this week.
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As it’s been said before, everyone on the Orange needs to step up in Angeli’s absence. There isn’t an easy solution here, and hopefully the bye week allows us to see a big improvement this Saturday.
