With the Orange on a bye this week, we thought it would be a good time to take a program pulse after 3 games. So, we put a few questions out to the NunesMagician Slack and here’s what we’ve got:
Biggest Surprise
Kevin: Offensive struggles. The Orange are moving the ball decently, but struggling to hit big plays and convert in the red zone. Angeli looks indecisive and the wide receiver depth hasn’t really shown itself. Justus Ross-Simmons being the #2 receiver after returning late in camp is a bit puzzling.
Mike: Steve Angeli’s decision-making. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be 100% with the turnaround from his injury, but some of his throws showed bafflingly bad awareness.
Dom: Surprise in a good way – the RB-by-committee approach has been, I’d say, solid. Hill, Anderson Jr., and Miller are all at 4.9 yards per carry or higher. Small sample size, but still. Wish ‘Cuse ran more on the outside.
Christian: Play Calling. I really liked Jeff Nixon and his play calling during the first two seasons of his Syracuse tenure. However, this season, it feels like he’s calling a conservative gameplan to start. That’s leading to too many long down-to-go conversions needed just to keep drives alive. The desperation that is needed to just get a first down is where we’re seeing a lot of Syracuse mistakes.
Max: Steve Angeli’s struggles. Based on the hype that surrounded him it seemed like he’d come back and be a savior. It was a given he’d struggle a little bit coming back from this kind of injury but the extent of his hardships has been shocking.
Biggest Need for Improvement after the Bye
Kevin: Attention to Detail. It’s not just penalties, it’s a lack of urgency in getting to the line on offense, of getting clean snaps. Missing short field goals, not taking the safe throw, missing tackles with poor angles. This team could (should?) be 3-0 right now, but they’ve failed to take care of the little things.
Mike: Discipline. Way too many careless penalties have played a huge part in SU’s two losses.
Dom: It’s the penalties. A lot of these remaining opponents can only be beaten if ‘Cuse stops shooting itself in the foot.
Christian: Red Zone. Syracuse went to the red zone plenty of times against Cal and Pitt. However, way too often, those opportunities ended in either a field goal or missed points. Even drives where the Orange were on the goal line needed additional help, such as defensive penalties, to just punch the ball in. It feels like Syracuse needs to score on a big play in order to get a touchdown, which shouldn’t always be the case.
Max: Penalties. Just can’t be giving up over 100 penalty yards a game.
Best Player on Offense
Kevin: Umari Hatcher. Hatcher has stepped up his play and been the most consistent player through three games. We can debate the ceiling of this team with him as the go-to guy, but he’s shown he can be a playmaker on offense.
Mike: Umari Hatcher. I didn’t know what to expect from him but he has looked like a real WR1 and should honestly have even better stats than he does currently. I’m excited to see if he keeps up his hot start especially if Cuse makes the switch to Amari Odom.
Dom: Not really another option besides Hatcher, but he’s giving Syracuse something of a certainty in the passing game.
Christian: Umari Hatcher. You could make the argument for Justus Ross-Simmons. However, JRS is really just a good deep-ball threat. Hatcher has shown the ability to make catches at all three levels, rush the ball and make opposing defenders miss. It’s incredibly impressive for a player who has battled injuries and inconsistency during his Orange career.
Max: I’m going to join everyone else here and say Hatcher. He’s been a big bright spot even with a struggling quarterback.
Best Player on Defense:
Mike: Davien Kerr. Since making the change from corner to safety, Kerr has held his ground lined up all over the field. SU doesn’t actually face many pass heavy teams the rest of the way so his plug and play ability will help set some ideal matchups. Bonus points for some nice punt returns.
Dom: Rashard Perry. Boasts Syracuse’s best defense grade on PFF by far (among guys who have played all three games). Just been solid and consistent at everything except forcing pressure. Considering he’s coming off a season-ending injury in 2025, it’s good to have him in the fold and in a decent role.
Christian: Keyshawn Johnson. He’s winning his matchups on the outside consistently. That has been needed for a team that didn’t have good pressure on the quarterback last year. He’s constantly laying out big hits or forcing QBs to escape just with his presence. Johnson’s been one of the best pickups Syracuse got from the portal this past offseason.
Max: Chris Peal. I have loved what I’m seeing out of him and look forward to more of it the rest of the way.
Kevin: Davien Kerr. He’s the only defensive back who has allowed less than 50% of targets to end up as completions. He’s got an interception and two pass break ups and seems to have a knack for being around the ball.
Who will break out the rest of the way?
Kevin: Demetres Samuel. I’ll be honest that the first game I thought Samuel got beat on a couple of throws too easily, but since then it feels like he’s been better in coverage and shown he can be a threat as a returner. With the offense struggling, it feels like he’ll get a chance to touch the ball more as we come out of the break.
Mike: Antonie Deslauriers. After a solid freshman campaign, Deslauriers has been equally effective in coverage and against the run game early this season. Cuse has been thin at LB for years but he’s my pick to lock down the position.
Dom: Shay Barker. Missed field goals definitely cost ‘Cuse the Cal game and didn’t help in the Pitt effort. If Barker can keep knocking them down as he did Thursday night, that solves one problem the Orange have had with putting points on the board.
Christian: Daunte Bacheyie. As he gains more game experience, the CBA Syracuse product should grow more and more into the Oronde Gadsden mold that the Orange coaching staff want him to be. Bacheyie still needs to improve on the blocking end of things, but his route running and big play ability is needed to help provide another option for the Orange. If he can develop the same zone reading skills OG did, Bacheyie will grow into a force to be reckoned with.
Max: Demetreus Samuel. He has been a solid returner and I think he will blossom as he develops at corner this season.
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Now it’s your turn, share your thoughts in the comments.
