NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Truth be told, it’s going to be an uphill battle when the Syracuse Orange take on the Miami Hurricanes this Saturday afternoon. After last year’s epic come-from-behind win, the Canes will be looking for revenge against the Orange. So what does Syracuse have to do to keep up with their ranked opponent?
Attack Mistakes:
Despite playing good football, Miami doesn’t play mistake-free. With QB Carson Beck having 14 touchdowns but also 9 interceptions, there’s an opportunity for the Orange to capitalize if they play aggressively enough. They have to play smart football. Not every play in the backfield has to be a sack. If they can force pressure and disrupt the rhythm of the Hurricanes’ offense, Beck might walk right into a few ill-timed throws for turnovers. Don’t overpursue and give up on the big plays.
Stay At Home
The Hurricane offense has 19 rushing touchdowns on the season so far led by Mark Fletcher Jr. with 9. Syracuse has struggled with the run all season long and needs to buckle down. Every single time a running back touches the ball, defenders should be making contact and driving through. Too many missed tackles or defenders getting out-run by bad angles, and the extra yards are always there against them. Slow the runner down and let your teammates help. Play team defense.
Find a Rhythm
Syracuse has been out of sync since the loss of QB Steve Angeli. Now the Orange aren’t even sure who their quarterback will be going forward. Whoever gets the start for the Cuse needs to settle into a low-risk offense with high percentage throws. Smart fundamental football needs to be at the forefront until Syracuse can take advantage of the big plays. So far, they haven’t been able to, so they need to just attack their bread and butter. The Orange have an offense built around speed, but it’s also an offense built on pace. A good tempo and technically sound plays could help find progress in a struggling offense.
No matter the outcome of the game on Saturday, the Syracuse Orange need to dig deep the rest of this season. They have a good class of recruits coming in, and they need to show their future teammates they won’t give up when times get tough. Can the Orange pull off another Hurricane upset?
