Well, the Orange is off this week, which means something must be done to keep everyone excited during the bye. With that said, what better way is there to do that than another Syracuse football equation? So, here’s a step-by-step problem that includes every opponent the Orange faces (or has already faced) this season:
Step 1 (Western Michigan): Start with the number 200, the amount of yards Eric Dungey ran for against the Broncos. Dungey almost doubled his career high in Syracuse’s 55-42 Week 1 win.
Step 2 (Wagner): DIVIDE by 10 for the amount of points the Seahawks tallied in SU’s 62-10 victory.
Step 3 (Florida State): Next, ADD 4. The Orange sacked Deondre Francois four times at the Carrier Dome on its way to a convincing 30-7 win over the Seminoles.
Step 4 (Connecticut): SUBTRACT 13 for Moe Neal’s 13 carries against the Huskies. Both figuratively and literally, Neal took his carries and ran with them. The Junior torched UConn for 116 yards on nearly nine yards per carry in Syracuse’s 51-21 win.
Step 5 (Clemson): MULTIPLY by 9, the number of Tigers running back Travis Etienne, who ran for a career-high 203 yards and three touchdowns against the Orange. Better yet, Etienne’s final carry was a game-winning touchdown with 41 seconds left, putting Clemson past Syracuse, 27-23.
Step 6 (Pittsburgh): SUBTRACT 39. The Orange lost to the Panthers last Saturday for the 39th time in program history. Syracuse is now 31-39-3 all-time against Pitt.
Step 7 (Bye): Let’s take a bye week break for a second. If you’ve been following and computing correctly, your number should currently be 60.
Step 8 (North Carolina): ADD 11, which marks how many turnovers the Tar Heels have committed this season. North Carolina has played just four games, which is less than any other team in the ACC. With their 11 giveaways, the Tar Heels lead the conference at 2.75 turnovers per game.
Step 9 (NC State): MULTIPLY by 2 for the number of interceptions thrown last week by Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley. Finley tossed two picks against Boston College, but don’t be fooled. The senior leads the ACC in passing yards and has guided NC State to its eighth 5-0 start in program history. The Wolfpack is undefeated thus far, but has a meeting at Clemson before its matchup with Syracuse.
Step 10 (Wake Forest): SUBTRACT 60, the margin from the Demon Deacons’ blowout loss to Clemson last week. Offensively, Wake Forest threw for a mind-numbingly low 2.7 yards per attempt. Defensively, it allowed almost 700 total yards. The entire game was a complete mess for the Demon Deacons, and they lost 63-3.
Step 10 (Louisville): DIVIDE by 4, which is the number of turnovers the Cardinals defense has produced through six games. Louisville has the lowest takeaway per game rate in the ACC, and it’s not fantastic at keeping the ball either. The Cardinals are also tied for second in turnovers committed per game, and have the second-worst turnover margin average in the conference.
Step 11 (Notre Dame): MULTIPLY 2 to match the Fighting Irish’s short but current winning streak against the Orange. Notre Dame is 6-0 to start the year, and will see Syracuse at Yankee Stadium Nov. 17.
Step 12 (Boston College): Finally, ADD 3 for Eagles running back A.J. Dillon’s season-high three touchdowns against Holy Cross earlier this season. BC won the game 62-14, tallying its highest point total in, you guessed it, three years. This year, Dillon ranks second in the ACC in rushing after running up to Lamar Jackson last season.
If you have done this correctly, you should end up with a number you may already be pretty familiar with. That’s right, it’s lucky number 44. Enjoy the bye week, Syracuse fans.
