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Syracuse players couldn’t agree on if the 2021 season was a success or not after its loss to Pitt in the season finale. Courtney Jackson said a losing season can’t be considered successful. Duce Chestnut said it was OK, but the Orange expected more. Sean Tucker declared it a success because of the four-win improvement from 2020.

I argued Syracuse’s 2021 season was successful — Dino Babers proved he was capable of orchestrating a bounce-back season. He found his star in the backfield, Tucker, and his quarterback, Garrett Shrader. Babers made the offensive coordinator change he needed to, and the defense continued to develop. Last season provided hope moving forward.

That hope — and then some — has come to fruition this fall. Shrader’s completion percentage has increased 17%, and he’s already thrown for more touchdowns (12) than he did all of last season (9). Tucker is still Tucker, and the defense, which ranked sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in points per game last season, is now sixth in the nation. After several questionable in-game decisions last year, Babers has been sharp through six games, with the exception of keeping his offense in late during the game against Wagner.

Regardless of how the rest of Syracuse’s season goes, it will be considered a success. A 6-0 start for the third time in 87 years, a top-15 ranking, bowl eligibility and one of the biggest Dome crowds this century. Check, check, check and check. There’s been blowout wins and last-second ones. There’s been games where Tony White’s defense paved the way, and other times when Robert Anae’s offense did so. Last year, there were questions of whether Syracuse had a successful year. This year, there shouldn’t be any.

Babers’ staff decisions after last season have proved to be the right ones, and athletic director John Wildhack’s decision to stick with his head coach for another season paid off. SU, which two years ago was the laughingstock of its league, has a legitimate shot at playing in the ACC Championship Game. The Orange Bowl is also within reach. Whether those boxes are checked remains to be seen. But the objective of becoming bowl eligible, which seemed unlikely going into the year with Syracuse projected to finish last in its division, is already secured.

“There’s a lot of goals that are still out there, but there’s one goal that’s been checked,” Babers said after beating NC State last Saturday.

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Two years ago, the idea of the Orange being 6-0 and in play for a New Year’s Six game would’ve sounded like a pipe dream. SU finished 1-10, one of the worst seasons in program history. Last year, the Orange improved to 5-7 and pulled off a few surprising wins, but several close losses — along with three straight lopsided ones to close the season — ensured they wouldn’t make a bowl game. Wildhack expected more wins, yet stood by his head coach, announcing over the summer that Babers wasn’t on the hot seat.

Wildhack gave Babers the opportunity to build a strong coaching staff. SU paid White more than double what he made in his final year at Arizona State. Coming off successful stints at BYU and Virginia, Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck have revolutionized the offense. Mike Schmidt is leading one of the top offensive lines in the country for the second straight year, and Bob Ligashesky has transformed the Orange’s special teams play.

“He’s built a really good staff. That’s number one,” Wildhack said when asked about Babers’ job performance on ESPN Radio Syracuse last week. “In this sport if you don’t have a really good staff, you’re not going to win.”
Wildhack said Syracuse has always been a school that develops players rather than recruiting the highest-rated ones. Tucker, Garrett Williams, Mikel Jones and Matthew Bergeron were all three-star recruits out of high school. Today, they’re some of the best at their position in the ACC and legitimate NFL prospects.

Expectations were low for Syracuse coming into the year. The Orange, by a large margin, were predicted to finish last in the ACC Atlantic Division in the preseason media poll. Eclipsing last year’s win total seemed unlikely, especially facing a difficult schedule.

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But there was a belief within the team. Whispers. Those close to Shrader said he could be one of the best passing quarterbacks in the ACC. Offensive players kept reiterating how explosive their attack would be. Chestnut said in August the defense’s goal was to be ranked in the top ten nationally. Garrett Williams said he and Chestnut were the best cornerback tandem in the league. Jones has oozed confidence all season.

Jones said the 2021 season wasn’t a success — the Orange wanted to send their seniors to a bowl game. He didn’t enter the NFL Draft, instead returning to SU with Williams to again lead the defense.

“I knew exactly what this team was capable of, which was 6-0,” Jones said last Saturday. “I’m just happy I came back. Happy I’m able to help us get this far. We’re just getting started.”

Moving forward, it’s imperative for Wildhack to lock up several of Syracuse’s top assistants — White, Anae, Beck, Ligashesky, Schmidt and Nick Monroe — into the future. Wildhack knows the quality of assistant coaches is important, and it’ll be time to prove SU can continue its success into 2023 and beyond. Babers has certainly also earned the opportunity to coach the Orange until his contract ends (likely after the 2024 season). There shouldn’t be any more talk of him being on the hot seat for the rest of this year.

Seasons like this have been rare in central New York. Syracuse has played in just five bowl games in the last 20 years. There have been significantly more losing seasons (14) than winning ones (4). A season with bowl eligibility is a success. There could be more in store. But at minimum, Wildhack’s patience in Babers and his rebuild has paid off, guaranteeing a memorable — and successful — season.

Connor Smith is a Senior Staff Writer at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at csmith49@syr.edu or on Twitter @csmith17_.

Published on October 19, 2022 at 11:23 pm