Bye week arrives at a pivotal time for Syracuse. Despite starting the season 3-1, the Orange stand at .500 after ugly back-to-back losses against SMU and Duke. After the break, the road does not get any easier. The Orangemen travel to #16 Notre Dame, #2 Miami, and #13 Georgia Tech. They also host 3-2 Pitt along with Bill Bellichik’s North Carolina Tar Heels.
For the Orange to become bowl eligible, they must win a minimum of 3 more games. While Syracuse has looked egregious as of late, they still have an outside shot of achieving 6 wins. But this is only possible if Syracuse takes advantage of the rest, and addresses three gigantic issues.
The first being Rickie Collins. In 2 games as the Orange starter, Collins has completed under half his throws with 4 interceptions and only 1 touchdown. In his short time leading Syracuse, the junior has looked extremely uncomfortable, and has shown few signs of improvement. But it’s hard to totally blame Rickie Collins, who had almost no experience before entering Syracuse.
The first-year Orangeman was abruptly pushed to the starting role after the season ending injury of Steve Angeli. In his 2 years prior with LSU, Collins saw limited time, completing only 7 passes for 41 yards. With an inexperienced quarterback like Collins under center, a stable ground game is a must.
But ever since the quarterback change, Syracuse has done the opposite and turned away from the run. In Collins’ first college start against Duke, Yasin Willis and Will Nixon combined for a season low in carries. The next week, despite head coach Fran Brown’s emphasis on running the ball, a healthy Willis totaled more than half his carries on the first drive alone.
The Cuse defense has not held their side of the bargain either. At the midway point of the season, they lead the ACC in points given up and yards allowed. Syracuse, who has surrendered over 350 yards in all 6 games, has acted as a confidence booster for opposing QB’s. In the defeat versus SMU, junior Kevin Jennings collected a career high with 4 passing touchdowns. For the 2nd straight season, Fran Brown’s Orange has failed to deliver on the defensive side.
A young quarterback with a limited run game and bad defense is not exactly a respite for success. The bottom line is that 2 things can be true: Rickie Collins has been really bad, but the situation he was put in was not ideal either. Perhaps even worse.
The Orange will host Pitt next Saturday.
