Syracuse football just wrapped up its last game of September, marking the Orange’s last home contest for a full month. Until November 2nd against Virginia Tech at home, Syracuse will play three straight road games starting on Friday against UNLV. The other two matchups on the road trip are NC State and Pittsburgh. In recent history, winning on the road has been a struggle for SU. Over the last ten years, Syracuse is 14-37 away from home. That comes out to just above a 35% winning percentage on the road. On top of that, in three of the last ten seasons the Orange have gone 0-5 away from the dome. Simply put, the road has not been Syracuse’s friend. With that being said, what should Syracuse be expecting from each of these matchups on the road and is it possible for SU to go 3-0 before coming back to the 315? Let’s dive into all of that and more.
@ #25 UNLV 10/4
This is a massive game for Syracuse. At the beginning of the season, nobody thought that the Rebels were going to be a ranked team, or even a potential college football playoff team. All of those doubts were put to rest with UNLV sitting at a perfect 4-0 heading into this week. Some questioned the resilience of the Rebels after their starting quarterback Matthew Sluka and running back Michael Allen both redshirted last week. But, backup quarterback Hajj-Malik Wilson showed out in his first game for the squad throwing for over 180 yards and three touchdowns. The senior also rushed for just north of 115 yards and a touchdown. Some Rebels fans are even happier with Wilson under center now, rather than Sluka who redshirted due to NIL reasons. Nevertheless, UNLV being a top team gives head coach Fran Brown a huge opportunity to knock off another ranked squad. The Stanford loss is still fresh on the minds of Syracuse fans, and a win on Friday could change all of that.
@ NC State 10/12
The Wolfpack are a squad that have gotten beaten up early this season, with starting quarterback Grayson McCall getting injured in week three.. That has led NC State to be 3-2 heading into week six, with freshman play caller CJ Bailey at the helm. The two losses for the Wolfpack came against fourth-ranked Tennessee and fifteenth-ranked Clemson in the first four weeks of the year. While you might think that gives Syracuse an edge heading into the matchup, it could actually come back to bite the Orange. SU hasn’t played a top fifteen squad all season, and the game will also be the first ACC road matchup of the year. With the contest slated for 8 PM, it’s going to be a true test to see if Brown’s squad can compete in a rowdy atmosphere at Carter-Finley stadium.
@ Pittsburgh 10/24
In what will be the 80th rendition of Syracuse vs. Pitt, the Orange could very well be facing an undefeated Panthers team. So far this year, Pitt’s notable wins have been West Virginia and Cincinnati. If you ask me, that’s pretty impressive taking down two Big 12 schools in back-to- back weeks. The Panthers are led by Alabama transfer Eli Holstein. The redshirt freshman threw for over 300 yards in his first three games, and has amassed 12 touchdowns this season. If the Louisiana native keeps up his play against North Carolina and California over the next two weeks, Pitt could easily be 6-0 by the time it welcomes Syracuse to town. The challenge for SU will be containing Holstein. Syracuse has let up at least 175 yards per game through the air, which could hold the Orange back from coming out victorious in the steel city.
Under the lights
The next three games have one common theme for Syracuse, there all at night. So far this year, the Orange has lost its only night game. Another thing SU will have to worry about is being outside. While the upcoming contest against UNLV is indoors at Allegiant stadium, SU hasn’t played a game outside all year. That could be a problem against NC State and Pitt. Regardless of what the weather is, the Orange went 1-4 on the road last season. Syracuse’s only win was against Purdue, meaning SU did not win a single ACC road game. If Syracuse is serious about getting its season back on track, it needs to be competitive away from home. In SU’s five road games last year, the Orange were outscored 170-77. That’s simply not good enough. Should Syracuse have more fight on the road this year, it’s more than possible it can go undefeated over its next three. But, if history repeats itself, any chance of the Orange being ranked or in a race for the ACC when it returns home in November will be out of reach.
