Another week, another loss for Syracuse football, though this time it wasn’t that bad. A 16-13 loss to Boston College made the Orange 1-7 this season and they look forward to a restful bye week. Here are the biggest takeaways from last weekend’s game:
In a Season of Negativity, Saturday Held Some Positives
This season of SU football really has not been proven to be one of the brightest hours in orange history. Injuries left and right alongside opt-outs have made things difficult for a struggling Su squad. Though on Saturday the Orange weren’t trounced as they usually are, instead, it was pretty close. In his first time as the starter, JaCobian Morgan looked pretty sharp at times, and this defense made some big-time plays to slow down an offense that hung around with Clemson just a week prior. Garrett Williams, Ja’Had Carter, and Rob Hanna continue to impress on the defensive side, and Sean Tucker does the same on the other side of the ball. This team has a bright future, we saw a few glimpses of it against BC.
No One Person or Positional Group is at Fault
This season really wasn’t the one the Orange would’ve liked to have. Just two seasons ago Dino Babers and Eric Dungey hoisted the camping world bowl trophy in Florida after ousting West Virginia quite convincingly. It seemed like good times were ahead, fast forward to a one-win team in 2020. It’s easy to point fingers at just about anyone in this situation, Babers for poor coaching, Sterling Gilbert and Tony White for not making an immediate impact with new schemes and play styles, Tommy DeVito for not living up to the expectations set for him, or this defense for simply being lackluster, but no one person is at fault for the disappointment the Orange have brought forth this season. This team just didn’t have the pieces to win consistently this year or last for that matter. There are a lot of good young players on this roster that have gotten chances to shine all year long, come next season with some experience under their belts, things could look a lot different by this time.
At Least We’ll See More of These Young QBs
When Rex Culpepper was relieved against Wake Forest in favor of Morgan, many fans were ecstatic to see him there. A good young player, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to conquer, and that he did. A perfect first drive ending with a touchdown earned him a chance to start this week, and he didn’t disappoint. He wasn’t exactly Peyton Manning, but a few throws on the run and some nice escapes and reads looked promising. He might not be the future, but it’s at least nice to see another solid option Babers can turn to.
The hope isn’t gone for this program, give it some time and there’s no doubt the wins will come once again. The Orange have the pieces they just need to grow, once they do, another player in Orange threads will be hoisting a trophy.
