Through four games Syracuse football gets a B. SU enters its bye week at 3-1 after a demolition over Rhode Island, hard fought wins over Wake Forest and Central Michigan and a competitive loss to LSU.
Many pundits picked the Orange to come out of the gates hot, but once Terrel Hunt went down the season could’ve taken a turn for the worse. Instead Syracuse has fought to win three games with a slew of backup quarterbacks and a young, but consistent defense.
Offense A-
Offensive coordinator Tim Lester has gotten the most out of quarterbacks Eric Dungey and Zack Mahoney so far this season. Lester’s not asking his inexperienced quarterbacks to do too much. Through four games the pair have combined for eight touchdown passes, a rushing touchdown and just a single pick.
Implementing the option has been smooth bar Dungey’s injury. Lester is also doing an excellent job of getting Syracuse’s receivers involved in the offense. Six different receivers have caught touchdowns already this year. Brisley Estime has reeled in two touchdowns and already has more receiving yards than he did in his injury plagued 2014 season.
Defense B-
Scott Shafer and Chuck Bullough’s defense continues to bend but not break. Syracuse’s secondary is ranked 91st in the nation. The Orange gave up back-to-back 300 yard passing games against Wake Forest and Central Michigan and still won those games.
Zaire Franklin and Parris Bennett look like stars in the making at linebacker. The duo leads the Orange in tackles with 18 and 17 respectively.
Up front Syracuse consistently pressures the quarterback. The Orange ranks 25th in the nation in total sacks. SU’s biggest issue has come against the run though. LSU running back Leonard Fournette rushed for 244 yards by himself against Syracuse…yikes.
If SU can continue to play the way it has through four games then this season will shape up a lot better than people thought it would this summer.
Posted: Connor Morrissette
