For the second week in a row, the Syracuse Orange fell behind by three scores in the first half and now a 3-1 start has become 3-3 as the Orange slide into the bye week. Let’s look at three takeaways from
yesterday’s game:
Opportunity Wasted
Syracuse got a stop on SMU’s first possession. A shanked punt gave them great field position and Jeff Nixon did what fans screamed for him to do- he ran the ball. The Orange ran on 10 of their 12 plays as they slowly went from the 41 down to the 1. It was there that running the ball twice in a row was equivalent to running into a brick wall.
Instead of jumping out to an early lead and perhaps giving a needed boost to the offense, it did the opposite. Jeff Nixon has done an incredible job in two seasons, but Syracuse has not shown an ability to run power football this season. With two plays to get one yard, the Orange stayed in a tight formation and allowed the SMU defense the ability to crash the center. I don’t think kicking a field goal there was the right call because it was going to take 30 points to win the game, but the offense needed to do something to create an advantage.
A Step Back
Rickie Collins didn’t take the step forward that Syracuse needed this week. He hit his first two throws but an interception on his next pass led to SMU points. Collins didn’t settle down. He had Johntay Cook streaking across the middle of the field and had it batted down. He was high on throws, behind on throws and simply missed open receivers. Two of those misses would have been touchdowns and made it a game in the first half and this response from Josh Gattis showed the frustration.
Collins kept fighting until the end, but he’s playing like a guy thinking about what he wants to do instead of playing. You can see the arm strength, but you can also see a quarterback not stepping into throws, not making quick and confident decisions.
Last week I felt that Collins got too much of the blame, but this week it felt like his play was a bigger reason why the Orange lost.
Own Worst Enemy
Of course it wasn’t the only reason. Once again, the Orange committed too many self-inflicted wounds. Willis seemed hesitant on his 3rd and goal leap and two failed fourth-down carries. Collins wasn’t decisive on the 4th down sneak. The offensive line didn’t get a push on any of those plays and the repeated need to prove that the team could line up and power to convert short yardage was frustrating.
Three turnovers, six penalties, some blown coverages in inopportune times and that’s how you end up with a second-straight loss. There were bright spots on offense, defense and special teams, but consistency has to be key for this Orange squad. Syracuse isn’t talented enough to create bigger obstacles for themselves to overcome. It’s a challenge for not just the coaches, but the leaders in the locker room to get the focus back before the Pittsburgh game.
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What were your takeaways from the game?
