Coming off its 26-point season-opening win against Colgate, Syracuse gears up for No. 13 Louisville on Friday night. The Orange last beat the Cardinals in 2012. Heading into the contest, beat writers Chris Libonati, Jon Mettus and Matt Schneidman answered three questions about SU.

1. Is Syracuse’s poor running performance against Colgate a cause for concern?

Chris Libonati: If Louisville runs with a three-man front the whole game, I think there are going to be options for Syracuse. What Colgate tried against Syracuse was to have its linebackers shade in and also guard passes in the slot. That was wildly unsuccessful against the pass for Colgate because of its lack of athleticism, but the Raiders were still able to pack the box. This week those outside linebackers will be Devonte Fields, who played defensive end at TCU before transferring to UofL, and James Hearns.

I don’t think the Cardinals want either of them on Brisly Estime or Ervin Philips, and I also think Syracuse is going to spread it out with four wide receivers more because it might force some of Louisville’s pass rushers off the field in favor of a nickel or dime package. In short, this week, I think SU is going to try to run more. Will it be successful? I’ll say SU averages right around 4 yards per carry.

Jon Mettus: Not yet. Colgate packed the box and was determined to stop the run. Syracuse head coach Dino Babers was hard headed, by his own assessment, and didn’t want to throw the ball all game despite having success in the air. So, he lined his team up in full house-like sets and tried power running with two linemen in the backfield. Most other teams will pay more attention to Syracuse’s passing game and open up at least a little bit more room. Check back in a few weeks for a better assessment.

Matt Schneidman: Colgate’s front seven is one of the strongest in the FCS, but that’s the FCS. Friday brings Louisville, which boasts two linebackers and a defensive tackle on the preseason All-ACC team. It’ll be a whole different animal for Syracuse’s rushing game, and Dontae Strickland especially will have to do better than 21 yards on nine carries. Apart from Moe Neal’s 49-yard touchdown run on his first-ever touch, SU didn’t register a rush of double digits apart from a 12-yard scramble by Eric Dungey. And with DeAngelo Brown, Keith Kelsey and Devonte Fields coming to the Carrier Dome on Friday, there is certainly reason for concern.

Jessica Sheldon | Photo Editor

2. What must the Orange do to beat Louisville?

C.L.: Run the dang ball. If I’m Syracuse, I want Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson on the sideline as much as possible. No reason to get demoralized by a big play when you can just grind Louisville out. And grinding the Cardinals doesn’t necessarily mean long drives in terms of time. Dinking and dunking should work for SU just fine. That said, I don’t really know what you can do against Jackson defensively. Just keep bending and hope the offense can keep pace, I guess.

J.M.: Everything. Syracuse has to do everything right. Offense, defense, special teams, clock management — you name it. Louisville smacked Charlotte around in its season opener, a 7014 drubbing. And Louisville blew out Syracuse last year, too. One game against an FCS opponent is not enough time to work out the kinds of new systems. The Orange has basically no room for error.

M.S.: Somehow contain Jackson, which is miles harder than it sounds. The dual-threat sophomore can beat you in so many ways, and he could very well leave the Syracuse defense scrambling all over the field. He ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns against Charlotte, but he also has two of the conference’s best receivers in Jamari Staples and James Quick. If you think Syracuse’s offense is explosive, just wait until you see Louisville. With the current state of the SU defense — young and flawed — it will take a herculean performance from it to keep this game close against Jackson and company.

Jessica Sheldon | Photo Editor

3. Is Amba Etta-Tawo SU’s definite answer at the second outside receiver position?

C.L.: I think he’s the starting second outside receiver all season, but I’m not sure he’s “the answer” or anything like that. His speed is definitely going to work in his favor, but I don’t know how much he’s going to get one-on-one coverage really. I tend to think he’ll get zones and a safety over the top, which would help negate that. What I saw from SU was an effort to feed him the ball so teams have to respect Etta-Tawo and Steve Ishmael. You’ll see a much more even distribution in the future.

J.M.: Definite? No. But he could be. Etta-Tawo is arguably Syracuse’s best deep threat. He has plenty of size and speed to use to his advantage. I need to see a few more games to evaluate how consistent he can be, but Etta-Tawo could overtake the No. 1 outside receiver spot from Ishmael if he lives up to his talent and the expectations set after game one.

M.S.: I think Etta-Tawo is SU’s definite answer at the first outside receiver position. He has more speed than Ishmael and proved Friday that he can catch any ball thrown his way. He’ll develop into Dungey’s favorite consistent deep threat, and having Ishmael as a first/second guy who can also catch the ball anywhere is by no means a hitch or an insult to Ishmael. He just doesn’t have the same downfield speed as the Maryland grad transfer, which makes the Orange’s receiving corps — don’t forget Ervin Philips — as lethal as it’s been in recent years.

Published on September 6, 2016 at 11:34 pm