Virginia Tech 38. SU 10. There’s only so many words to describe that performance for Syracuse football.
Garrett Shrader and the offense fell flat at the start and never woke up. SU’s defense was put in several bad spots that it couldn’t control, but still struggled to tackle. And you can’t forget about the coaches, who didn’t make any noticeable adjustments throughout the games.
That’s all you can say. It was a disappointing day for almost every facet of the Orange. Let’s let the grades speak for themselves.
Dino Babers: F
It was a horrendously coached game from start to finish. It actually started on Monday, when Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers claimed that his offense would get back on track, especially going against lesser opponents going forward. That comment set the expectations sky high before this dud of a game.
The Orange made the Hokies look like the greatest show on turf, on both sides of the ball. They got outgained by 390 yards. It would have been even worse if VT didn’t take its foot off the gas in the second half.
There weren’t many opportunities for bad coaching decisions. But this game was the culmination of bad recruiting, bad scheme design, and so much more.
This will be the last straw for many Syracuse football fans.
Syracuse Offense: F
138 pass yards.
Zero rush yards. Yes, you read that right. Zero.
0/9 on third downs.
Sacked eight times.
That reflects poorly on every position group on the offense, as well as offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
Syracuse Defense: F
I had defended Syracuse’s defense plenty of times over the last few weeks. It had been put in bad spots by the offense Even during the first quarter, I was impressed that Virginia Tech was held to mostly field goals. But then, it kept going downhill.
The Hokies picked up 318 rush yards. That’s not just because of bad field position. That’s a demolition.
Jack Stonehouse: A
After briefly leaving with an injury, SU’s punter put on a solid display. Seven punts for 353 yards, good for an average of 50.4.
Stonehouse was the only bright spot tonight.
