DURHAM, N.C. — With the Blue Devils piecing together their second drive down the field in as many possessions to start Saturday’s game, Syracuse called a blitz. Linebacker Lakiem Williams ran through the middle of the Duke defensive line unscathed and sacked quarterback Quentin Harris.

A 2nd-and-5 inside the Syracuse end of the field became a 3rd-and-11 and an eventual punt. The same blitz that has plagued Syracuse’s offense all year, sending both linebackers at the interior offensive linemen, became the Orange’s weapon defensively. And the Orange’s season, clinging to bowl hopes, remained afloat with a 49-6 win over Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Two weeks removed from one of the worst defensive outputs in school history and the firing of its defensive coordinator Brian Ward, Syracuse forced three turnovers and scored its first defensive in the team’s first win against a Power 5 opponent this year. In its first game since Ward was fired, the Orange allowed 279 yards, including 122 on the ground.

“Hats off to them being mature enough to handle it,” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said, “and say ‘OK this what we’re going to do because this is what we can handle and this is what we can’t handle.’”

Two Sundays ago, Babers told his players they’d be finishing the season without a member of the family. Ward was being fired and defensive line coach Steve Stanard would be assuming Ward’s role. It was the kind of move that happens after allowing nearly 500 rushing yards in a blowout loss and a team that started the year ranked had free-fell to the worst record in its conference.

It was also the kind of move that ignites a team. Stanard talked to the team about fighting through adversity and “working the entire time,” Syracuse defensive end Kendall Coleman said. For the Orange that meant extra reps in the film room, more time spent breaking down plays after practice and even some players only walk throughs including one last Saturday.

The goal for Syracuse was to simplify the game, Syracuse safety Andre Cisco and Babers said. Rather than worrying about everything on the field, the focus became one or two reads. For Syracuse’s defensive line that led to a field day in Duke’s backfield and four sacks. For the secondary it meant tipped passes two takeways and the first defensive touchdown of the season.

“It’s not like we switched the whole playbook in the middle of the year, obviously, we tried to clean up some things make it more simple,” Cisco said.

One of the bigger shifts to Syracuse’s defense came in the middle. Defensive tackle McKinley Williams, who hadn’t played yet this season due to a foot injury, returned to the lineup. He finished with three tackles and one half sack.

Like Chris Slayton last year, Williams adds a different dynamic to the defense, forcing offenses to account for him in the middle and therefore provide less help to Coleman and Alton Robinson rushing on the outside. On one play, Robinson made the Harris slide up from his rush but the quarterback had nowhere to go. Instead of hole to run scramble through, Williams was there and the play ended in a sack.

“He’s just a chaotic guy,” Coleman said before a smile. “No matter where he’s at on the field, he draws a lot of attention. So I don’t mind having him out there.”

The turnovers came in a spree, three turnovers on three straight Duke possessions. Two of them came from tipped passes, one tipped by two defenders before Andre Cisco returned the floating ball 48 yards for the score. The other tipped out of a receiver’s hand by Chris Fredrick and snatched by Fredrick himself. A third takeaway came from a clean strip by Andrew Armstrong.

All three turnovers resulted in subsequent Syracuse touchdowns. It was the defensive performance Babers called for in his press conference on Monday. SU didn’t let up the big plays it had against Boston College and Duke never created consistent movement running the football.

Cisco said after the game it felt almost like winning a championship. And so the Orange players rewarded their new defensive coordinator with a fitting celebration: A Gatorade bath.

“As the week went through, we all had to adjust and put our trust in coach Stanard and I feel like he earned our trust today,” Cisco said.

Published on November 16, 2019 at 10:13 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44