The Syracuse Orange (3-2, 1-1) head to Dallas to face the SMU Mustangs (2-2, 0-0) for the first time in nearly 100 years. Kickoff is 3:30 on the ACC Network and here’s what we’ll be watching for in this
one.
Kevin: Hitting the right angles
I’m going to focus on the defense this week. The Orange have had trouble containing the running game and a lot of it has been positioning. Can Syracuse avoid getting themselves blocked and seal off the gaps that SMU is going to try and exploit in the run game? Sometimes inexperienced players get caught up in trying to rally to the ball instead of keeping contain and as we see more young players getting snaps, let’s hope they can channel their aggression.
Dom: A bounce back from Collins
It was only one game, it was against a Duke defense that completely controlled the line of scrimmage and, on top of that, the Orange coughed the ball up three times compared to zero for the Blue Devils. There was plenty of blame to go around for the 35-point loss, but plenty of fans will have their eyes on how Collins responds after Syracuse mustered just three points. Collins is clearly motivated after he and coach Brown watched film right after the loss. He’s got the weapons. The big questions: can he make the right reads well enough, and will the offensive line give him enough time to connect to Syracuse’s dynamic group of receivers?
Max: Keep calm and force the issue
Not many people are giving Syracuse a chance in this one, but it could get interesting against an SMU team that turns it over an average of twice per game. This is the blueprint we saw in Death Valley, where the Orange forced two turnovers while committing none. There’s obviously no Steve Angeli to lead this offense, so it’ll probably take a herculean effort from Rickie Collins to pull off another upset. But if SU could win the turnover battle at Clemson, I’m not ruling out a similar result against the Mustangs just yet.
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What will you be watching for in this game?
