Syracuse is fresh off its most inconsistent showing of the season. The offense was slow to start, but it picked up as the game progressed. However, the defense was rock solid for the majority of the game except for a couple costly plays.
One area that hasn’t been nearly where head coach Fran Brown wants it to be is the running game in SU’s offense. After a promising start from running back LeQuint Allen, the Orange have been stagnant on the ground.
Allen rushed for 98 yards and caught one touchdown in Syracuse’s opening win over Ohio to start the season. Since then, the junior’s totals have decreased each game. Allen ran for 83 yards on 15 carries in the win over Georgia Tech. Finally, he rushed for just 25 yards on eight carries this past weekend in SU’s loss to Stanford.
The offensive line hasn’t helped this trend, with an unstable first half in Friday’s loss. It seems like the defense is pouncing on Allen almost every handoff.
However, the effort from Allen is at an all-time high. His skills and attributes don’t show up on the stat sheet, but he is diving for extra yards and keeping his feet moving.
The next time you watch Syracuse, look for Allen’s extra effort to fight for every inch on a run. He’s coming off a 1,000 yard season on the ground, and hoping to get back to that mark or exceed this year.
Fran Brown has also repeatedly mentioned that he wants Allen to keep doing his thing, but realizes that the defense isn’t always going to give him the option to do that. It’s a matter of patience week in and week out for Allen.
The next chance for Syracuse to get back on track with its run game is on Saturday when Holy Cross visits the Dome at noon.
