Dino Babers is very good at his job
After an up and down start to his second year at SU, Babers coached a near-perfect game Friday night. The SU head man came out with a gameplan that got everyone involved against Clemson. He mixed up the run and pass beautifully. And, more importantly, he got his guys ready to play. After a shocking loss to MTSU, Babers needed to come back with a win over CMU or else the dreaded hot seat talks were going to start.  However, now just three short weeks later, Babers not only beat CMU but has now established himself as one of the best up and coming coaches in the nation. The Syracuse program has made some regrettable hires in the past decade and it’s been an uphill climb back to mediocrity since the infamous Greg Robinson era. However, after Friday night, it seems like SU has finally found its guy in Babers. Now the program just has to hope a perennial power doesn’t swoop in and take him away from Central New York.
SU’s O-line somehow held its own
In a night of unbelievable events, the strong play of Syracuse’s offensive line was perhaps the most shocking part. The O-line has been the Orange’s achilles heel all year long and there was no reason to think that wasn’t going to be the case again on Friday. Clemson possesses one of the best defensive lines in the country. Yet, somehow Syracuse didn’t let that dictate the game. The Orange offensive line had to play its best game of the year on Friday and they did.
The Orange D is for real
After safety Antwan Cordy went down with an injury in week one, almost everyone assumed SU’s defense was in trouble. The Orange had one of the worst defenses in the ACC last year without Cordy and the secondary specifically cost SU several games. Opponents put up an alarmingly high average of 38.6 points per game last year, which was 120th in the entire FBS. However, through seven games this year, SU has dramatically improved. The Orange has only allowed an average of 24 points per game this season. Friday night’s win over Clemson was one of SU’s best defensive performances in three years and proved this Syracuse defense has taken a leap that frankly no one saw possible.
