NFL
For the Syracuse Orange, Saturday’s loss was heartbreaking. There was every opportunity to win that game, and Syracuse couldn’t walk away with the victory. Credit goes to the California Golden Bears for sticking with them the whole game; it was ugly on both sides of the ball, but Cal did just enough to win in the end. What can Syracuse take from this game and fix going forward:
Offensive Struggles
On offense, the Orange clearly weren’t on the same page at times. Other times they weren’t even in the same book. Only to follow up with something brilliant. A complete lack of consistency showed up here. Angeli didn’t have his best night, completing just 49% of his passes. He threw multiple interceptions and plenty of passes to fully covered men. There were even times where he seemed to be throwing to imaginary receivers, but it’s not all on QB1.
So much broke down for the offense this game. Angeli would throw to spots where he thought his receiver would be, and the receiver would look around trying to find the ball. Either they ran the wrong route, or Angeli was throwing to the wrong spot. Chances are, both were true. Then, of course, there was little separation from the receivers. Angeli threw into tight windows, but a Cal defender was matching receivers in stride all game. Not to leave out the offensive line. Far too many times, defenders forced rushed throws or throws while backpedaling. Accuracy will always dip when a defense can disrupt timing.
Abandoned the Run?
Tylike Hill had the biggest run of the night, a 55-yard breakaway to put SU into scoring position. That sole play accounted for almost half of Syracuse’s rushing yards for the rest of the game. Was it their intent to throw the ball 50 times? Not likely, but if you subtract the 55-yard gain, they’d go on to rush 35 other times and gain just 63 yards (1.8 YPC). They didn’t abandon it because they were getting blown out; it simply wasn’t working. Unfortunately, some of that blame has to fall on the offensive line as well. Sure, you could put the weight of choosing gaps on the RB if you want, but it’s hard to go straight when the hole is closing faster than you’re getting to the line of scrimmage. SU got moved up front by the Bears defense.
Defense Let Down
Please give credit when it’s due; the defense wanted it. This is the same defense that would hold their previous opponents to single digits. They kept CAL in check most of the game, breaking down only on one drive. They constantly swarmed runners, got hits in the backfield, and set the edge. They showed up hungry, but the offense ultimately broke them down over time. A few longer drives by the offense and the defense got enough rest. They stuck it out all game.
Undisciplined Football
It seemed like this game had a flag for every set of four downs. It was hard to watch. Some were warranted, and others were questionable on both sides of the ball. However, that’s on Syracuse to fix. It seemed like every time they’d have a big play, it would be called back. Unsportsmanlike, illegal formations, illegal substitutions, and personal fouls come down to discipline and smart football. You won’t have the luxury of refs “letting them play” every game. Many points were left on the field due to simple mistakes and a lack of discipline. Luckily, most of these are fixable.
It wasn’t all bad for the Syracuse Orange on Saturday, but they let it get away from them. Whether it was the emotion of the game or miscommunications throughout the series, most of their struggles were self-inflicted. If they can clean it up, the defense looks good enough to keep them in most games. If not, it’s going to be another long season.
