Syracuse faces a No. 22 Duke team that hardly turns the ball over. The Blue Devils have only coughed the ball up five times this season and generally don’t make many mistakes on offense.

In his Tuesday teleconference, SU (3-6, 1-4 Atlantic Coast) head coach Scott Shafer ran the rule over Duke’s (7-1, 3-1) attack, focusing on quarterback Anthony Boone, wide receiver Jamison Crowder and the Blue Devils experienced offensive line.

“I think it starts with the quarterback and they have a big-play guy in Crowder, a very quick agile guy that can make plays both in the quick passing game and down the field,” Shafer said. “They have good balance in their run-to-pass ratios and the different down-and-distance categories.”

Syracuse cornerback Julian Whigham said that neither he or fellow cornerback Brandon Reddish will be solely responsible for Crowder. Because Whigham mostly plays the boundary corner spot, who guards Crowder will depend on where he lines up, and Whigham said that film shows that Crowder can line up in a lot of different places.

And in front of Boone and Crowder is an offensive line that’s allowed just four sacks this season while blocking for 212.2 rushing yards per game.

“That’s where it starts. It starts with a quarterback and an offensive line,” Shafer said. “And smart, bright kids from Duke that don’t make a lot of mistakes.”

“… I think really the biggest concern is just that they’re very good at what they do.”