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After Syracuse’s loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, head coach Dino Babers offered little about Carlos Del Rio-Wilson starting over Garrett Shrader and how he thought Del Rio-Wilson performed in his first career collegiate start.

In his weekly Monday press conference, Babers said Del Rio-Wilson, who finished 8-of-23 passing for 120 yards, needed more help from the rest of the offense.

Babers also didn’t address if Shrader is battling a lower-body injury or not, simply saying he has an “owie.” Shrader, who was taken out at halftime of the Notre Dame loss with an unspecified injury, warmed up Saturday but never took the field. Shrader was visibly limping after the Clemson game and has been seen with a boot on his right foot at various points this season. 

In the end, Shrader stayed on the sidelines Saturday in street clothes and didn’t play a snap for the first time in two years. SU’s offense slogged its way to a 19-9 loss, its third straight, never able to get anything going offensively. 

“It was one of those things, ‘Garrett, go out there and see how you feel,’” Babers said. “Besides that, it’s also us watching him. He doesn’t get the only vote because we already know what his vote’s gonna be. We gotta watch him, and then based off of that, the trainers and all that kind of stuff, we’ll come to a decision.”

Here are some takeaways from Babers’ press conference:

Quarterback situation addressed 

Del Rio-Wilson was unable to consistently move the Orange’s offense downfield against Pitt, facing constant pressure from the Panthers’ rush and overthrowing receivers. Pittsburgh’s six sacks were its most this season. Babers said Del Rio-Wilson got all the first-team reps last week, and the quarterback added that he spent much of those practices developing more chemistry with the wide receivers. It’s clearly something that’s still a work in progress. 

“The biggest thing when it comes to somebody having their first start is that everybody else is responsible for making his job easier. And as a unit, we did not play well. And we’re anticipating that we’re going to play a lot better than that on Saturday. Because mainly, we need to,” Babers said. 

Babers said SU is waiting for Shrader to become available again, hoping to get Del Rio-Wilson playing at the “highest level” in the meantime. The Orange are waiting to get an update on Shrader’s status soon and are being “sensitive” with his injury. The quarterback hasn’t spoken with the media since after the Clemson loss. 

“I would hope that by not playing Garrett that he’s healthier, but again, that’s for the doctors to tell us,” Babers said.

Sean Tucker’s lack of touches

Sean Tucker recorded his fourth straight game with fewer than 100 rushing yards Saturday after only missing that mark three times all of season. The All-American running back has struggled this season, with questions of his health and usage becoming prominent. After ranking No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing yards per game last season, Syracuse has dropped to seventh this season.

Babers said Tucker isn’t hurt and has been playing at full speed. Babers pointed to how opponents make a concerted effort to limit Tucker because of his abilities, and that Syracuse needs to be productive in the touches it gives Tucker even though defenses know they’re coming.

Tucker recorded 10 carries against Pitt, his second-lowest total of the season, and lower than any number he got in any game last year. He finished with 19 rushing yards and three receiving yards on two catches. Babers pointed to how the Panthers controlled the time of possession battle, giving the Orange fewer opportunities to give Tucker the ball.

“If you look at his targets, one third of our offense went through Sean Tucker,” Babers said. “With more conversions on third downs and more plays, that can increase based off of what’s going on in the game. So, when you do the percentages, it doesn’t look as bad as what the actual numbers are.”

Stephanie Zaso | Design Editor

Looking ahead to Florida State

Syracuse finishes its home slate Saturday night against No. 25 Florida State, a team coming off a 45-3 blowout win over Miami. The Seminoles have recorded wins over Louisville and No. 7 LSU, and have lost against Wake Forest, NC State and Clemson. FSU’s passing offense currently ranks third in the ACC, and its pass defense is No. 1.

Babers discussed quarterback Jordan Travis, who has thrown for over 2,200 yards and 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions this season. After viewing him as just a one-dimensional, run-first player last season, Babers says Travis is now a legitimate dual-threat weapon. Travis threw for three touchdowns against the Hurricanes after posting 396 passing yards and three scores the week prior against Georgia Tech.

“That offense is clicking, they are absolutely on fire,” Babers said. “It’s going to be a tall task, but we got them at home. And that’s the best place to get people when you have tall tasks. And we’re going to see how it goes. But we know that it’s a difficult game.”

Published on November 7, 2022 at 6:24 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_