Very rarely do you hear me categorize a game as a “must-win.” However, tonight is one of those instances. Syracuse is coming off a thrilling overtime victory over UNLV last weekend on the road, and the Orange have only dropped one game so far this season.
Then there’s NC State, a team that ranks dead last in the ACC. These are the types of teams that have given SU trouble in the past because the Orange tend to overlook their weaker opponents. Take Stanford, for example: the Cardinal are still listed as a bottom-five squad in the conference, but managed to beat the Orange, handing them their first loss of the year back in mid-September.
If you take a look at the upcoming schedule for Syracuse, it doesn’t get much easier. Pitt is going to be a tougher matchup than people initially gave it credit for. Virginia Tech is no easy task, even though it’s at home. And playing on the road against Boston College and Cal doesn’t guarantee anything. Finally, UConn could be considered the other “must-win” game on SU’s schedule to round out the season before finishing up at home against Miami.
With all of these uncertainties ahead, Syracuse needs to handle business tonight. On paper, the stats favor SU in this matchup, but Orange fans know how that can go.
NC State’s defense has been weak. The Wolfpack gave up 51 points to Tennessee, 59 points to Clemson, and 34 points to Wake Forest just last week. They’ve been torn apart, and Syracuse needs to take advantage of that.
The only thing in NC State’s favor is its sold out Carter-Finley Stadium going into tonight’s game. We’ll find out how much of a factor that will be.
Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord has played in the biggest of stadiums, but how will the other Syracuse youngsters step up?
Kickoff is at 8:00 P.M. tonight.
