NFL
By: Rick
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Syracuse Orange got it done against the UConn Huskies. It’s their second victory of the season. The Orange now sit at 2-2, but they had to give it their all to walk away with a win. After the Huskies scored the go-ahead touchdown and extra point in overtime, the SU score came on a two-point conversion to win the game. So what did we learn from the Orange victory?
New Sheriff In Town:
Despite the proclamation that Steve Angeli would start this game, head coach Fran Brown went with Amari Odom today. That decision gave the Orange the spark they desperately needed. Whether or not it was a one-time thing is yet to be seen. However, a QB who threw for 27/37 and 335 yards, 5TDs, 2 INTs, with two big fourth-down plays, one of which was in OT, and who sealed the victory with a 2-PT conversion will be hard to bench. Odom obviously didn’t start the season at QB1 for the Cuse, but he stepped in and looked like one despite the struggles. Will this be permanent, or was it designed to push Angeli?
Defense Breaks Down
The Syracuse defense was the disappointing part of the day. Not every day is going to be perfect, and this day wasn’t for the Orange. A 71-yard run eventually led to the game-tying touchdown. That was followed by a 25-yard TD in overtime, putting pressure on the offense. Starting late in the third quarter, Syracuse’s defense would allow 20 unanswered points to tie the game. In fairness, it’s never easy to go into a road stadium in college and walk away mistake-free.
Big Play Day
Syracuse finally scored in bunches, cracking the 20-point mark after a two-game drought. But the way they scored was impressive. Umari Thatcher scored 3 times today, one from 40 yards out, one from 41 yards out, and one from 17 yards out, the last being on 4th down in OT. Earlier in the game, Odom would pass on 4th and 23, which led to a 34-yard TD to TE Dante Bacheyie. Tylik Hill may not have found the end zone, but 28 rushes for 140 yards kept the run game producing. At the end of the day, the day wasn’t without faults, but the Orange got it done with a balanced offense.
The road ahead won’t be an easy one for the Syracuse Orange, however. Virginia, Louisville, UNC, and SMU are all coming up right before they take on Clemson, NC State, Boston College, and finish the season with Notre Dame. If there was a time that Syracuse needed a win, today was it. Now they’ll have to get back to work to take on the Cavaliers.
