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Oronde Gadsden II dropped the ball. When Garrett Shrader lofted the ball near the right sideline in the first quarter, Gadsden was forced to make a quick hop to get inside leverage on his defender. But the ball bounced off his pads. 

Head coach Dino Babers said that most people would’ve looked at that as a bad sign, seeing the drop as a “jinx” for the rest of the night. Babers thought the opposite. He knew Gadsden was not going to drop a ball for the rest of the game. 

So, on the next play, Gadsden ran the same route on the opposite side. The ball came toward his backside, and Gadsden turned before taking another little hop, this time hauling it in. He didn’t drop the ball for the rest of the game.  

“Every once in a while there’s a happening. That drop was a happening,” Babers said. “That’s not what he is. He’s consistently good, not occasionally great.”

Gadsden finished No. 18 Syracuse’s (6-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) 24-9 win over No. 15 NC State (5-2, 1-2 ACC) finishing with a career-high eight receptions for 141 yards. Despite the Wolfpack entering the game with the third-best passing defense in the conference, Gadsden exploited his one-on-one matchups with NC State’s undersized defensive backs with two touchdown grabs. 

Gadsden’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, now averaging 84.5 receiving yards per game after Saturday’s win. 

Last year, Gadsden played mostly on special teams and only garnered two receptions for 24 yards. Then Robert Anae entered as SU’s offensive coordinator. The offense became more pass-heavy, and Gadsden moved to a hybrid of slot receiver and tight end. He was asked to block more and make catches in the middle of the field.

But to get to that point of being Syracuse’s primary receiver, Gadsden had to win Shrader’s trust first. The duo spent the majority of Syracuse’s spring practices and fall camp “putting the work in” to know each other’s tendencies. 

The chemistry between Gadsden and Shrader has produced the majority of Syracuse’s passing success. Gadsden entered the game with 366 receiving yards, 172 more than Devaughn Cooper, and 23 receptions, four more than Tucker.

“(Gadsden) is a real consistent, heavy football player,” Shrader said. “He’s always trying to find space and get open.”

In the first quarter against NC State, the connection displayed itself again. After Cooper caught a slant route and advanced the Orange by five yards, Gadsden ran the same play and moved them up 10. 

Three plays later, Shrader got Cory Durden to jump offsides, giving the Orange a free play. Shrader immediately looked to Gadsden on the left sideline, chucking the ball to the same spot where he scored the game-winning touchdown against Purdue four weeks ago. Gadsden made the catch, finishing the two-minute, five-play drive to give Syracuse a 7-0 lead. 

Gadsden spent most of the first half edging his domain near the sidelines, perusing the right and left sides early in the game. But in the second quarter, moments before Shrader threw his second interception of the game, Gadsden bolted down the middle of the field. 

He leaped, turning his body completely in midair to face the ball, for a 36-yard grab. Gadsden got up and pumped his fists toward the crowd, putting the Orange back in NC State’s half. 

Gadsden continued to work from the slot in the second half, running multiple dig or in routes into the soft spot of the Wolfpack defense. Shrader usually hit Gadsden as he got out of the middle of the field, opening it up for him to sprint down the sideline. On Syracuse’s second drive of the half, Gadsden caught the ball and cut up field. But he was frustrated, pounding his fist into the turf after he was tripped from behind. 

On Syracuse’s last drive of the game though, Gadsden made a crucial grab on an in route and successfully made it up field on a 2nd-and-20. His play helped Tucker run in his final 25-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach for NC State. 

The Orange also had Gadsden work as a lead blocker for Tucker or Shrader. When Syracuse lost one of its best run blockers, Chris Elmore, to a season-ending injury against Louisville, it turned to Gadsden to replicate some of the missing production. 

Gadsden learned more about who to block and where to place his hands and shoulders from Elmore. He said after the UConn game that it’s a 50-50 balance in practice between the time he spends run blocking and catching passes. 

In the third quarter, Gadsden helped Tucker and Shrader advance the ball on the ground in some of the Orange’s heavy sets. He then 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.

“We’re going to keep trying to get him the ball as much as we can,” Shrader said.

Published on October 15, 2022 at 9:42 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu