As seen in the countdown of the top ten most important players to Syracuse football in 2022, the offense was highlighted significantly. But, when it comes to a unit, or overall gameplan, how SU fares on passing downs and situations will determine how many games this team wins and how far they go in 2022.
Garrett Shrader’s numbers last season are not the most pretty, but he had his moments. Strong games against Florida State, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech laid the foundation and was a view into what a fully developed passer Garrett Shrader can become. With Robert Anae and Jason Beck in the fold to help and after a full offseason of work, that potential can be realized and put into play.
Anae and Beck led a Virginia offense that put up astronomical numbers last season. The Cavaliers ranked just outside the top 20 nationally in points per game, third in yards per game, and were top ten in yards per play. The Orange ranked near 100th in the country in all of those categories last season.
It has been made brutally clear that SU has an extremely tough schedule this season. The Orange have to take advantage of having four of their first five games of the season at home, and although they will be tough, you need to win at least three of the first five to have a chance at a bowl game, at best.
There are undoubtedly going to be situations that require Garrett Shrader to pass. Sean Tucker is one of the five best running backs in the nation, but he cannot do everything on every play. Shrader is going to have to push the ball down the field, to unproven receivers, for Syracuse to compete with the likes of Louisville, Purdue, and Virginia early in the year.
Damien Alford, Courtney Jackson, and Devaughn Cooper top the week one depth chart for SU, which is cause for concern considering their career numbers. Combine that with Shrader’s unproven consistency throwing the football and there are a lot of question marks. Anae and Beck’s challenge all offseason had to be making Shrader a better passer and smarter player.
Look at the top teams in the nation. The top-two quarterbacks in the country play on the first and second-ranked teams. Bryce Young on Alabama and CJ Stroud on Ohio State. Syracuse is obviously not one of those teams or even anywhere close to the top 25, but better quarterback play is the key to success.
Syracuse’s passing game was very up and down in 2021 and has been for the last half-decade or so. If the Orange air attack can take the next step in 2022, opposing defenses will have to gameplan as much for the pass as they do for the run, which will open things up for Sean Tucker in the run game. Passing success equals more Tucker success. How good Garrett Shrader and the Orange are throwing the ball will determine how good this team is in 2022.
