It’s Friday Night Football in the JMA Dome as the Colgate Raiders (0-2) make the short trip from Hamilton to face the Syracuse Orange (1-1). Tonight’s game is on the ACC Network and here’s what we predict:
Kevin (2-0, 0-2 vs spread): Syracuse 44, Colgate 11
I think the Orange offense starts fast behind the quick passing attack. Look for Steve Angeli and Dan Villari to attack the middle of Colgate’s defense which will open up some deep shots for Demetres Samuel and Darrell Gill. After an early lead,
Syracuse will turn to the ground game and a slew of backs and offensive lineman to help get some rest for starters before next week’s game at Clemson.
Max (2-0, 1-1 vs spread): Syracuse 56, Colgate 10
This one will be over quickly, with Angeli tossing two touchdown passes to Ross-Simmons and Gill en route to a 21-0 first-quarter Orange lead. The defense finally wakes up with four sacks, two from Kevin Jobity, and three forced turnovers. Fran Brown pulls his starters midway through the third, and Rickie Collins gets his feet wet with a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown. Onto Death Valley.
Casey (1-1, 1-1 vs. spread): Syracuse 45, Colgate 13
I mentioned in the What to Watch For article that a good old-fashioned FCS beatdown would be a sigh of relief for fans. However, I don’t see the Orange fully shutting out Colgate like the last time these two met. I expect Syracuse to jump out to a 28-0 lead by halftime, with a pair of Nixon touchdowns and some Angeli fireworks. Without Willis, I see the offense settling around 45 points while Colgate sneaks in a few garbage-time scores. I also like the defense to deliver a near-perfect first half. Overall, Syracuse wins big but falls just short of covering.
Dom (2-0, 2-0 vs spread): Syracuse 41, Colgate 10
Without a doubt, this is the game where the Syracuse offense that has had sparks in its first two games starts out electric out of the gate. Similar to Casey, Syracuse wins comfortably thanks to a big lead it builds in the first half, but ultimately doesn’t cover. Expect a pass-heavy attack for the Orange to overwhelm an outmatched Colgate defense, but that said, a late score ultimately allows the Raiders to cover.
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Now it’s your turn….
