NFL
By Rick O’Donnell
The Syracuse Orange take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets this Saturday at Noon EST. The Orange have been looking to get back on track since the past few weeks, and it will be no easy task against the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets this week. How can SU walk away with a victory?
Right the Ship
This sounds like a given, but the offense needs to play within its means. They’ll need to limit mistakes and not gamble in low percentage plays. Smart coaching and smart football need to be what keeps it close. On top of that, all of this will come down to the play of QB Rickie Collins. He’ll need to get into a rhythm early with high percentage completions and pick up the pace of their offense. Timing is everything for Collins, and tempo/pace with clean fundamentals could get the Orange going. Once they’ve established the ability to move the chains, then they can start opening up the playbook.
Keep It Close
If the Orange are looking to knock off the seventh-best team in college football on their home turf, it’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to be pretty. This will have to be as close to mistake-free football as they can afford. So long as the Yellow Jackets don’t run up the score, there’s a good chance Fran Brown and the staff can dial up the plays late to win the game. Syracuse hasn’t shown they can overcome a large deficit this year in the way they did against Miami last year, so they’ll need to keep this one under a two-score game.
Stop Allowing Big Runs
Anyone who has watched Syracuse football this year sees the big plays that shoot the team in the foot. At least once per game, the Orange allows the big run that the ball carrier takes to the house for a score. Those big open field runs are what keep the Orange in a deficit more often than not. Yes, their offense might be struggling as it adjusts to Rickie Collins’ play style, but the defense needs to prove they have QB1’s back. Step into those big plays, lay the big hit out, and do not allow the extra yards. A good defense will make up for a poor offense each time, and vice versa. The Orange just aren’t playing complementary football right now.
The Syracuse Orange go into Saturday afternoon’s matchup 17-point underdogs. Can they pull out a much-needed upset to keep the season on track?
