Syracuse (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) is coming off back-to-back wins over No. 25 Virginia Tech and Boston College. The Orange takes its bye week before heading to No. 3 Clemson on Nov. 5.

Beat writers Tomer Langer, Chris Libonati and Jon Mettus discuss Steve Ishmael, the bye week and the looming matchup against one of the nation’s top teams.

1. Is Steve Ishmael’s resurgence for real and why?

Tomer Langer: Calling it a “resurgence” isn’t totally fair to Ishmael. It’s not like his talent level took a major nosedive. It just so happened that for the first half of the season, Amba Etta-Tawo was putting up ridiculous numbers across from him and the SU offense just featured quick half-field reads at times to feed him the ball. Defenses have started limiting what Etta-Tawo could do, especially early (even against BC, 93 of his 144 yards came after halftime). With Eric Dungey spreading the ball out more, I think we’re seeing that Ishmael is just as talented and dependable as everyone thought he’d be.

Chris Libonati: Yeah, I think it is. His last two games were solid. They accounted for nearly 40 percent of his receiving yards this season, but his resurgence really started against Notre Dame when Ishmael had five catches for 67 yards. Since then, he’s had five or more catches and more than 50 yards in each game. In those games, he’s averaging six catches and 82 yards. If he can keep pace, Ishmael can get to nearly 800 yards, a solid total considering he had just 171 yards in the first four games. He’s also a skilled wide receiver who just needs to get looks, which should happen with teams rolling coverage to Amba Etta-Tawo.

Jon Mettus: We knew it was going to happen at some point when teams finally adjusted to Amba Etta-Tawo’s early-season tear. That time finally came in Week 5 against Notre Dame and Ishmael’s numbers have steadily gone up since that five-catch, 67-yard day — excluding the following game at Wake Forest played in a hurricane where Eric Dungey missed an open Ishmael in the end zone. As more defensive attention goes to Etta-Tawo, space opens up for Ishmael and the other receivers. And as the running game continues to struggle, Ishmael has benefited from screens and short comeback routes that act as runs.

2. Does the bye week come at a good time for Syracuse?

T.L.: I’d lean toward no. It’s true that SU’s been very banged up and can use this extra week to rest up and heal some players. But the Orange is coming off two pretty big wins this year and there has to be some good feelings in the locker room right now., All that considered though, I’d still want the bye one week later. Even with the bye this week and the recent success, it’ll be hard for SU to beat Clemson. Getting a bye before Clemson is like a college student finally getting eight-plus hours of sleep the week before you have five midterms. I’d much rather struggle through one more week and get the extra rest after something that difficult, not before it.

C.L.: I think SU went just about as far as it can go without having a bye week for this roster to stick together. Injuries have piled up, but the roster really needs to get healthier and this week could help, even if it’s only a little. The last few weeks, Boston College and Virginia Tech battered Eric Dungey, who survived the beatings. Getting him to 100 percent along with a few of its other players will be so important moving forward. The whole team looks as if it has slowed down a bit, so maybe a one-week break can help speed it back up.

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J.M.: I think Syracuse could’ve used the bye week a few weeks earlier. When you look at all the injuries they’ve had — from losing two starting defensive backs and (probably, not definite yet) two starting offensive linemen for the season to then Cordell Hudson and Devin Butler missing the last two weeks and Cody Conway working his way back onto the field recently — it’s clear the Orange is and has been banged up. Babers said it himself on Saturday after the game: “We’ve got a lot of healing to do. The first eight games without the bye have been rough.” If there’s an upside to having the bye so late, it gives Babers and his staff an extra week to craft a game plan for Clemson and might refresh the team for a crucial final stretch.

3. What’s considered a successful game against Clemson?

T.L.: Don’t get blown out and maintain some sort of competitiveness. Something like last year’s game (when Clemson came into the Dome and won by 10) would be perfect. Now, granted that game was at home but at the same time Zack Mahoney was the starting quarterback, it was a much weaker team with a much poorer offense. Clemson’s played really well at times (like when it beat Louisville) and has also needed help at times (when it needed a missed 33-yard field goal and overtime to beat North Carolina State). With those inconsistencies, SU should come in and at least be competitive.

C.L.: Hoo boy. Just keep it close. Death Valley is a hellish place to play (see what I did there) and Clemson’s a really talented team to boot. I think SU can keep it within two scores but asking much more would be tough. What SU can do and what SU will do are two different things, though. DeShaun Watson can sling the rock and given that SU’s secondary has eroded from injuries, I’m not sure it’ll be able to keep up with such a diverse attack.

J.M.: As long as Syracuse keeps the game against Clemson competitive heading into the fourth quarter it’ll be a success. We’re talking a one- or two-score game at that point. Sometimes final scores don’t accurately represent the tale of the game. This is yet another chance for SU and Dino Babers to get some recognition against a talented team. The week off leaves plenty of time for Kumbaya meetings. Maybe, just maybe, Syracuse can shock the college football world again. But it’s not win or bust. A good showing against Clemson could really set Syracuse up nicely for the final three games of the season.

Published on October 25, 2016 at 9:46 pm