For the second week in a row, the Syracuse Orange came out on the losing end despite an impressive effort from its defense. Last week, the Orange were eventually outclassed by North Carolina. But for the first three quarters, the defense kept Syracuse in the game. This week, the defense, again, answered the challenge. The result, however, was also the same.
Kenny Pickett threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead No. 25 Pittsburgh to a 21-10 home win over the Orange. Syracuse drops to 0-2 in this modified season of college football.
Here are my takeaways from what I’ve seen of the Orange so far this season:
The Orange defense will keep them in games
Syracuse using the 3-3-5 defense was a popular topic of discussion leading up to the season. I would say, after two games, the results have been positive for the Orange.
For the second consecutive week, the defense kept Syracuse in the game. They consistently pressured Pickett and neutralized the Pitt’s ground attack. Defensive coordinator Tony White’s unit plays aggressive and they’ll occasionally get burned on pass interference penalties. But they repeatedly bailed out their struggling offense with key stops to force turnovers or three and outs by Pitt.
If the offense gave them more time to rest, along with more help on the scoreboard, Syracuse could very well be 2-0 right now. Yes, the defense has been that good.
Mikel Jones grabbed his second interception of the season.
The Orange offense will be this team’s downfall unless…
The problem with this Syracuse offense right now is they’re not very good. However, this is a fixable problem. That’s if Syracuse is ready to acknowledge they have an issue at quarterback. Tommy DeVito has struggled to get anything going for the Orange. The passing game has been next to non-existent. Actually, the only time I’ve seen the offense move in the right direction is when DeVito uses his legs instead of his arm.
There’s no rhythm to this offense with only 171 total yards today. Too many times against Pitt, Syracuse found themselves in a third and long situation. The Orange were just 2 for 14 on third down against the Panthers. They failed to convert on both fourth down attempts.
The run game showed signs of life this week with Jawhar Jordan rushing 13 times for 40 yards. Jordan, however, also had a crucial fumble.
Syracuse must find an identity on offense. Are they a running football team? Then the offensive line has to step up and help open lanes for Jordan. That would mean their quarterback has to do a much better job at being a game manager. For DeVito, this means making those throws on third down when they present themselves.
Rex Culpepper replaced DeVito in the second quarter, due to injury, and connected on a great touchdown throw to Taj Harris. In the fourth quarter, Syracuse put Culpepper back in for the struggling DeVito. But he struggled to capitalize on the opportunity.
Culpepper has a live arm, he struggles, however, with accuracy. Maybe, that changes if were to become the starter. DeVito is all heart but there’s a noticeable regression in the offensive attack when he’s on the field. It also shouldn’t be overlooked that the offensive line must do better at protecting him.
This team quickly needs to figure out what they’re doing on offense, specifically at quarterback.
Suspect play calling and clock management from Syracuse
I was all over this on Twitter and I wasn’t alone in my sentiments. Syracuse, with less than four minutes to play, trailed by two scores. The Orange, however, had all of their time outs remaining. But instead of using those time outs, head coach Dino Babers decided to let Pitt run out the clock. Babers basically waved the white flag.
Pitt was doing all they could to give this game away to Syracuse. The Panthers committed four penalties in the first four minutes of the game.
For Babers to not try and give his offense another chance was a head scratcher as it indicates a lack of confidence in the offense to execute. Well, if that’s the case, then that would mean a hard look at the quarterback position is coming. Questions, however, need to be asked. And Babers, after looking at tape of this game likely will see he needs to make some changes.
