Syracuse (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) will take to Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina and square off with No. 21 Clemson (5-2, 4-1) at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The Orange fell, 49-14, to a team led by Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins in the Carrier Dome last year, yet there isn’t much disparity in the matchup this time around.

Though Clemson is favored and playing in its own hostile environment, this year’s version of Syracuse seems better equipped to make a game out of the meeting. And these three things will help the Orange do so.

1. Establish the run 

With Clemson boasting one of the country’s best defensive fronts, it would seem that Syracuse’s best offensive bet would be through the air. And while that may be true when it comes to scoring touchdowns, the Orange can alleviate the Tigers’ unrelenting pass rush by getting the ground game started early on.

Whatever SU does on offense, it will have to do fast. Well-executed zone-reads that allow Prince-Tyson Gulley, Adonis Ameen-Moore, Devante McFarlane and the team’s other backs to hit the second level could make Clemson think twice about blitzing seven and leaving four defensive backs to monitor the passing game. The Tigers have been known to do that — which led the Orange to practice with nine pass rushers during the week — but it won’t be as easy to if AJ Long makes the right reads and SU starts extending drives on 5-8 yard runs.

It doesn’t need to be anything more than that — it just has to be relevant enough for the Tigers to think about it.

2.  Sean Hickey vs. Vic Beasley 

Offensive tackle Sean Hickey doesn’t need to be the outright victor in this matchup, he just needs to play well enough to limit the effect of Vic Beasley, Clemson’s All-American defensive end, on the game. Beasley was the only player to beat Hickey for a sack last season and with Beasley averaging more than a sack a game, it wouldn’t be too alarming if that happened again. But letting him get to Long play after play will force the freshman quarterback to make decisions much faster than Syracuse would like, and Hickey can’t let that become a routine.

With both players being fifth-year seniors, their game within the game is being recognized as an exposure game for the next NFL Draft. A big night for Beasley would be affirmation of his status as one of the country’s best pass rushers. A big night for Hickey would come as more of a surprise and greatly help the Orange while nudging him up the prospect ranks.

3. Get to Cole Stoudt 

In Syracuse’s semi-convincing 30-7 win over Wake Forest last week, defensive ends Robert Welsh and Micah Robinson each scored touchdowns and the Orange regularly got to the Demon Deacons’ quarterbacks. Now SU faces a pocket passer in Cole Stoudt — who was beaten out for the spot by freshman DeShaun Watson but regained it after Watson broke his hand — and there will be opportunities to rattle him.

Against the Demon Deacons, the Orange brought linebackers and even cornerbacks on a lot of plays, which forced fumbles and turned into defensive scores. Don’t expect the Syracuse defense to keep finding the end zone with regularity, but do expect consistent blitzing by five to six players. Key cogs in the Orange’s blitz packages include outsider linebackers Dyshawn Davis, Cameron Lynch, ends Robinson and Welsh and defensive end Ron Thompson and nose tackle Eric Crume, all of whom will need to get to Stoudt before his receivers find space upfield.

With the Tigers’ backfield banged up and SU’s secondary riding a roller coaster all season, it’s conceivable that Clemson will look to the air early and often — which only heightens the importance of the Orange pass rush.

Published on October 25, 2014 at 3:04 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse