NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
The Syracuse Orange are back home when they face the UConn Huskies on Saturday. The Orange are looking to finish strong after an impressive win over the California Golden Bears last week. With two games left to go, the best they can finish is 9-3. The worst is 7-5. Finishing the season strong would put the exclamation point on Brown’s first season as head coach.
The Orange face a resilient 7-3 UConn team that will challenge them on both sides of the football. Syracuse is 4-1 at home while UConn is just 1-2 on the road but is on a 3-game winning streak.
Pressure, pressure, pressure. If Syracuse is looking to fix their defensive woes in the run game, then bringing the pressure will be key. UConn has 3 running backs over 500 yards this season (Robinson, Edwards, and Brown) so containment will be key. Stay home, stay alert should be the message going into this week’s game. Syracuse tends to overpursue and take bad angles at rushers, often leading to a big gain. Not every play has to be a sack. Small, fundamental football will keep the Huskies from big plays but the Orange need to play clean football to make it happen.
UConn will also have their hands full on defense as they allow 200 YPG on average and face a relentless Syracuse passing attack. Teams are also rushing at 137 YPG against the Huskies so the Orange will have the means to attack this defense. Balance will be the key. If Syracuse’s defense stumbles against the run as they have in the past, it’ll be on the offense to control the game. If your opponent doesn’t get the football, they can’t score. Eat up the clock, attack when the opportunity is there, and limit mistakes should be the game plan.
It’ll be an interesting game from a coaching standpoint for SU, as Fran Brown will have to juggle the decision to stay on the attack while leaving enough gas in the tank for their matchup next week against the (11) Miami Hurricanes. Syracuse has to find the perfect balance of keeping their foot on the gas without exhausting their players going into the finale.
There will be plenty to look forward to on Saturday in the Dome. Syracuse is honoring their seniors as well as inducting former SU coach DIck MacPherson into their Ring of Honor. Putting a W on the board would be the icing on the cake. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM EST at the JMA Wireless Dome.
