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LAS VEGAS — Fran Brown knew the question was coming. Once it was asked, he threw his hands up in the air, disgusted that it’d even need to be asked, but understanding of why it was.

Syracuse’s special teams had yet another porous performance. This time, it nearly cost the Orange their second ranked victory of the year.

“Yeah, we’ve gotta fix it guys,” Brown said postgame, responding to SU’s special teams mistakes against UNLV, as if he’d let the media members at his press conference down.

Special teams errors were the lowlight of Syracuse’s (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 44-41 overtime win over No. 25 UNLV (4-1, 1-0 Mountain West Conference) Friday night in Allegiant Stadium. Three of the Rebels’ five touchdowns were either scored against SU’s special teams unit or heavily aided by it.

Brown was visibly agitated by the unit’s performance. Yet, he refused to cast any of the blame on special teams coordinator James Vollono.

“I’m the head football coach and I’m obviously not doing a good job in that area, which I have to fix,” Brown said. “And I’m gonna work myself to fix it.”

He added that he plans to “call some guys” who he trusts in the college football sphere to gather perspectives of how Syracuse’s special teams must adapt going forward. Until he’s back on campus, though, Brown can only replay the game film in his head.

The first blunder, while small, put the Orange at a massive disadvantage before UNLV embarked on a game-tying drive in the second quarter. SU led 14-7 at the 9:11 mark when Jack Stonehouse booted his first punt of the night, which traveled 46 yards. Punt returner Jacob De Jesus took it from the 21-yard line and weaved through a litany of Syracuse special teamers en route to reaching the 44 before KingJoseph Edwards finally brought him down.

Even on a punt with decent hang time and average distance, the Orange lagged behind. The very next play saw Rebels’ star receiver Ricky White III zoom upfield after hauling in catch off a drag route for a 53-yard gain. Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams scored a three-yard touchdown rush immediately afterward.

Less than three minutes later, a far worse punt play occurred.

Stonehouse stood behind Syracuse’s 10-yard line as the Orange had a drive stalled at the 22 with the game tied 14-14. White lined up on the left edge of UNLV’s punt-return front, shooting downhill toward Stonehouse upon the snap.

White went virtually untouched. SU offensive lineman Mark Petry, who was positioned in the second level of blockers, shuffled his feet left initially and never looked White’s way. By the time he did, it was too late. Petry barely nicked White before he leapt forward with his body sprawled out to try and block Stonehouse’s punt.

But Stonehouse couldn’t get the kick off. He ducked to his right, searching for free space, before he was tackled by Jett Elad at the nine-yard line for a loss of 13. The Rebels scored a touchdown two plays later to take the lead.

Forget pass protection — Syracuse did that just fine Friday. The Orange needed punt protection. Yet it was almost nonexistent.

With 28 seconds left in the third quarter, SU put quite possibly its worst snap of the year on display. It was leading 31-24 after touchdowns by LeQuint Allen Jr. and Yasin Willis capped off a hot start to the second half. Though its third drive of the half ended in a punt from midfield. Stonehouse got this one off. But the ball only traveled forward for a few milliseconds.

White broke through Syracuse’s protection once again, this time deflecting a major chunk of the ball. The block resulted in the ball bouncing all the way into the end zone, where Charles Correa fell on it without any contention. All of a sudden, it was a tie game.

The play was rough for several reasons. In that spot, with the ball at the 50-yard line, it should have been an opportunity for Syracuse to pin UNLV deep in its own territory. The Orange could have used maximum protection personnel, since a return wasn’t too likely.

Instead, there were five Rebels special teamers within five yards or fewer from Stonehouse by the time he kicked it. Most of them made it into the backfield completely unscathed.

Special teams mishaps have continued to plague SU this year. In Week 2 against then-No. 23 Georgia Tech, the Orange couldn’t field an onside kick late in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Yellow Jackets to pull within three points. They also had a punt blocked and an illegal kickoff out of bounds in that game.

Last week versus Holy Cross, Brady Denaburg missed two field goals and then-backup kicker Jadyn Oh missed one, too. It even caused Brown to hold a competition throughout the week of practice leading up to UNLV. Oh was the starter, and didn’t miss a kick.

But just about everything else went wrong for Syracuse’s special teams against the Rebels.

As their ACC slate ramps up from here on out, the Orange have to make heavy revisions to their special teams unit. Blockers seem unsure of their assignments on far too many punts. Kicking is an uncertainty. Gunners are struggling to tackle on returns. Points are being added to the opponent from special teams errors every week, which could hurt them eventually.

Still, Brown is maintaining his accountability. The solution goes through him.

“They’re young kids. (Vollono is) a great football coach that’s done a good job for a long time,” Brown said. “Maybe it’s me. Maybe I need to do something to put them in better situations.”

Published on October 5, 2024 at 12:56 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews