The Syracuse Orange are struggling to find their footing after two games. On Saturday, they fell behind 17-6 at home to UConn and we started seeing bowl hopes slip away, but while the offense was stuck in neutral, the defense held the door from slamming shut.
Burned by big plays in the first half, the defense held the Huskies to 3 points in the 2nd half and overtime….and it took a ridiculous 4th down one-handed grab by Skyler Bell to get those 3. Syracuse did a better job of tackling-especially in back
seven and ramped up the pressure on UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano.
David Reese, who was brought in to help the pass rush, led the way with four quarterback hurries. Kevin Jobity had the first sack of the season for the Orange and corners Chris Peal and Demetres Samuel held their own against Bell. The standout UConn wide receiver finished with 11 receptions for 105 yards, but was held to 5 for 49 by the corners. Samuel only allowed 4 Bell receptions on 7 targets as he held up well in man coverage. Bell’s biggest play came on that 4th down catch where he was in the slot.
It was another freshman who made the final two defensive plays for the Orange. Linebacker Antoine Deslauriers played just 28 snaps but he was the highest graded player per PFF with a grade of 84.7. In those 28 snaps, Deslauriers made 4 tackles, had 2 quarterback pressures and the key pass break-up to seal the win in overtime.
There’s a lot of work for the Orange as they get this week’s game against Colgate before the ACC gauntlet begins. We hope that the progress shown by the defense on Saturday is a sign that this team can keep improving as the season goes on.
