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No. 18 Syracuse entered its matchup on Saturday with two weeks rest while No. 15 NC State faced Florida State last week. The Wolfpack escaped with a 19-17 win, but they lost quarterback Devin Leary for the season and running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye for this weekend. 

Syracuse dismantled the Wolfpack’s offense, holding them to 72 total yards in the first half. Meanwhile, Oronde Gadsden II set a new career-high with 141 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Syracuse secured its first 6-0 start since 1987, securing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. 

Here are some observations from No. 18 Syracuse’s 24-9 win over No. 15 NC State:

Lack of Leary

Leary walked onto the field before the game in a beanie and hoodie, wearing his No. 13 jersey while graduate transfer Jack Chambers warmed up. Six hours before the game, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that NC State quarterback Devin Leary wouldn’t play due to a shoulder injury from last week’s contest against Florida State. Two hours before kickoff, NC State announced Leary would miss the remainder of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. 

Head coach Dino Babers said the Orange prepared for Leary and Chambers. Chambers provided more of a rushing threat, something that torched the Orange early on. On a 1st-and-10, Syracuse sent Marlowe Wax barrelling at Chambers from the right side. Chambers avoided the pressure, spinning away from Wax and running down the right sideline for a first down. 

Chambers dropped back a few plays later, faking a dump off pass to Thayer Thomas before coming back to running back Jordan Houston on a designed screen. Derek McDonald, who returned on Saturday from an injury, charged at Chambers from the left side, but Chambers let go of the ball just in time. Houston picked up 18 yards, but the Wolfpack elected for a field goal after failing to get into the end zone on 3rd-and-goal. 

Syracuse’s defense continued to bend, but those instances slowly decreased toward the end of the first half. NC State even took out Chambers for one drive, thinking that third-string quarterback M.J. Morris could get its offense over the hump. But he couldn’t do much either. 

Oronde overhaul

Gadsden spent most of the first half near the sidelines, running up the right and left sides early in the game against NC State’s undersized defensive backs. He scored the Orange’s first touchdown, running a simple fade route on a free play, hauling in the ball the exact same place where he scored the game-winning touchdown against Purdue four weeks ago.

In the second quarter, moments before Shrader threw his second interception of the game, Gadsden bolted down the middle of the field. He leaped, completely turning his body in midair to face the ball, for a 36-yard grab. 

Oronde Gadsden II’s second breakout season has provided Syracuse with a primary receiving target for the first time since 2020, when Taj Harris finished the year with 733 receiving yards. Gadsden is on pace to break that mark, averaging 73.2 receiving yards per game heading into Saturday’s contest. 

Near the end of the first quarter, Gadsden lined up on the right side and Shrader looked for him again. Gadsden made a quick hop to get inside leverage on his defender, but the ball bounced off his pads. He switched sides on the next play, this time turning to his backside to make the grab. 

The Orange also had Gadsden play in the backfield sometimes, using him as a lead blocker for Tucker or Shrader. In the third quarter, Gadsden acted as the lead blocker for Trebor Pena, who motioned prior to the snap to sell the jet sweep. 

Shrader faked the handoff to Pena while Gadsden momentarily blocked before sprinting downfield. He received the ball in front of the left pylon, only tripping after getting both feet into the end zone for his second touchdown. 

Shrader’s untimely interceptions

Shrader entered the game with one interception this season, but there were plenty of close calls throughout Syracuse’s first five games — two interceptions against Purdue were called back because of penalties. On Saturday though, Shrader didn’t get that lucky.

Shrader lofted the ball to Damien Alford early in the game, which the receiver wasn’t expecting at all as it hit the back of his feet. In the second quarter, Alford wandered near the back of the end zone while Shrader waited patiently in the pocket. 

Alford was open for a moment, but Tanner Ingle caught up to him before Shrader fired the ball. He easily beat Alford to the ball at its peak, pinning it in between his thighs as he fell into the end zone. 

After Gadsden’s leaping grab gave the Orange the ball in NC State’s half, Syracuse quickly got back to the line of scrimmage. Shrader called for the snap quickly, staring directly at Courtney Jackson after as he ran a wheel route to the right sideline. The ball was underthrown and snagged by Aydan White. 

NC State’s rushing attack

Syracuse entered the game with the 16th best rushing defense in the country, allowing an average of 95.0 yards per game. It has allowed five rushing touchdowns this season, giving up none against NC State.  

The Wolfpack lost their leading rusher in Sumo-Karngbaye before Saturday’s matchup. They usually opt for a two-heading rushing attack with starter Houston, who averages 51 rushing yards per game.

Houston split some carries with third-string running back Demarcus Jones II in the first half, but the Wolfpack kept Houston out on the field for the rest of the game. Houston found some success against the Orange running the read option with Chambers, but Syracuse never gave up more than seven yards on any one of his rushing attempts. 

Mikel Jones immediately set the tone against the banged-up NC State offense in the first half. On one instance, Jones continued to move along the defensive line before the snap, eventually settling in the middle. Houston came straight at him, picking up four yards due to forward progress. 

Before the whistle sounded, Jones pulled Houston right back to where he started the play, five yards behind the line of scrimmage. He chirped in Houston’s face, signaling the beginning of a long evening for NC State’s offense. 

Published on October 15, 2022 at 7:05 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu