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After a last-second field goal from Andre Szmyt lifted Syracuse over Liberty, it fell to Florida State the following weekend, resulting in a 3-2 season record. The Orange’s new man in charge, Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader, tied Syracuse’s all-time record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a game, scoring three times. Shrader also threw one touchdown to Anthony Queeley with a total of 150 yards in the air and 137 yards on the ground.

But now Syracuse faces its toughest challenge of the year: going against undefeated Wake Forest, the best team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Demon Deacons averaged 38.2 points in their five wins so far, and quarterback Sam Hartman has 13 touchdowns this year. 

Here’s what our beat writers expect from Syracuse’s second ACC test of the season: 

Roshan Fernandez (3-2)
Rude a-Wake-ning
Wake Forest 31, Syracuse 21

Wake Forest ranks 101st of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in average passing yards allowed (252.8). But Syracuse’s offense ranks 116th in passing offense (171.0 yards per game). Both are weaknesses, but Wake Forest’s defense might have a slight edge because of how one-dimensional the Orange’s offense still is. Granted, SU’s passing game showed it had made notable strides against Florida State even without star wide receiver Taj Harris, who entered the transfer portal midseason. 

But if the Demon Deacons can channel their defensive energy and sell-out on stopping Tucker and Shrader on the run, they should be able to pull out a win. The Demon Deacons offense hasn’t scored fewer than 35 points this season, and they rank 15th in the nation in scoring. SU’s defense is good, but its offense hasn’t proven it can keep up with that pace. Wake Forest sits atop the ACC, and Syracuse is a fair ways behind that mark.

Connor Smith (2-3)
Out-Deaced
Wake Forest 35, Syracuse 24

The Demon Deacons are the top team in the ACC right now, but they have yet to face a formidable opponent — their opponents combined have just four total wins this season. But Wake Forest has a strong offense, averaging nearly 40 points per game, that has had no trouble moving the ball. Expect quarterback Sam Hartman to find easy targets in the passing game to move the ball, and the Demon Deacons’ spread offense to give SU’s defense problems on Saturday. Wake’s run blocking isn’t great, but its Run-Pass Option attack will confuse the Orange and help the Deacons pick up yards. 

Wake Forest does struggle to stop the run — and Tucker has proved to be one of the country’s top running backs — but the Orange haven’t found much success passing the ball with Shrader under center. That will stay the same without Harris, and Syracuse’s offensive production will come from its rushing attack or defensive pressure that creates sacks and/or turnovers. This game should be similarly high scoring like the Florida State one, and again, SU will fall to start out 0-2 in ACC play.

Anish Vasudevan (3-2)
Run Shrader run
Wake Forest 20, Syracuse 27

Wake Forest ran through Florida State earlier this season, holding the Seminoles to only two scores in its 35-14 win. On the other hand, the Orange were a field goal miss away from beating the Seminoles, struggling to stop Jordan Travis for the majority of the game. 

Still, with Shrader as quarterback, Syracuse has shown that it can make splash plays on the ground and get into the end zone. Along with Tucker, SU’s rushing attack is one of the best in the country. And it helps that the Demon Deacons are not the best at stopping the run, giving Syracuse a chance. 

The way the Orange win is if they stick to the game plan that’s helped them win three games this year: get Tucker going and use the read option as much as possible. At home against the ACC leader, Syracuse might shock the nation and come away with its first conference victory. 

Published on October 6, 2021 at 10:42 pm