Fran Brown lost his defensive coordinator this offseason, but he arguably made an upgrade when he brought in Vince Kehres from Toledo. Kerhes led an outstanding group during his time at Toledo, and he did a very good job mining talent for a school that wasn’t playing big-time football. The Cuse defense looks improved early on this season, but the competition they have faced has not been exceptional. This group will have to step it up against a powerful Louisville offense.
The Cuse defense has gotten
nice production from their edge defenders up front. Keyshawn Johnson and Tunmise Adeleye have combined for 7 tackles for loss and sacks this year, while combining for 29 total pressures. They combine with Nissi Ogbebor at defensive tackle to put a lot of pressure on the quarterback while also being solid against the run. Rashard Berry rounds out this group with his 4 tackles for loss to go along with one of the better big-man interceptions of the season.
Linebacker is the strength of the defense with two players who make up one of the best duos in the ACC. Chris D’Appolonia and Antoine Deslauriers have been very good for the Orange, racking up tackles and tackles for loss through the first half of the season. D’Appolonia was a nice addition for this defense as he followed Kerhes from Toledo after a very good season. Deslauriers was one of the best freshmen linebackers in the country last year, and he has picked up where he left off. These two will have their hands full if Louisville can continue to run the ball as they have over the last two weeks.
Syracuse has one of the best pass defenses in the country, with top 15 rankings in completion percentage and yards per attempt. They make teams work to complete passes, and they do a good job of keeping things in front of them to avoid big plays. Cuse has only allowed 30 passing plays for ten or more yards this year. That’s top-10 in the country and much better than a Wake Forest defense that put the clamps on Louisville’s explosive offense.
The individual players don’t stand out much for Cuse, but Davien Kerr flashes when you watch their games. The nickel corner has good speed and plays with the type of intensity you need as an interior defender. He has the lone interception by the secondary, and it came on a nice play where he jumped a route.
Chris Peal is second on the team in tackles from his safety spot, but he has been the one player that I have seen struggle in coverage this year. Peal has been beaten deep twice in man coverage down the field, while he was lined up in more of a cornerback alignment. It’s something to look out for on Saturday night, as the Cards will look for ways to push the ball down the field on the Orange.
