NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
As they look to close the book on Fran Brown’s first season, the Syracuse Orange will take on the Washington State Cougars Friday night in the Holiday Bowl. The Orange finished out their season strong with a big win over the Miami Hurricanes and would close out the regular season ranked for the first time all year(21st). Now Brown and the rest of the Orange look to finish what they started in their first bowl appearance with the new coach. What does Syracuse need to do to walk away with a win?
Come Out Strong
First and foremost, Syracuse has had a long break between this game and their season finale on November 30th. That’s a long time to go without playing football at live speed. After both bye weeks for the Orange, the team would come out flat and walk away with a loss in both games. That was only with a week off. How will this Orange team click having spent almost an entire month without football? Attack the field and close out the season strong. If any of these players entering the draft want to increase their stock, this is the day they put it all on tape.
Limit Mistakes
This may not be the Washington State team that was once ranked 18th at one point this season but that doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly. The Orange buckled down on fundamentals as the season progressed but rushed attacks and mistakes kept plenty of games closer than needed. No matter how your opponent comes into the game, if you can’t clean up things such as pass blocking or special teams play, plenty of players will be getting a chance to make a name for themselves in this matchup. Washington State may have lost 10 players to the transfer portal so at least 10 guys will be hungry to shine.
Up Tempo Football
Attack, Attack, Attack. That’s the name of the game for SU. At full strength, Washington State’s defense faced plenty of challenges. Losing their defensive coordinator, pass rushers, and key playmakers won’t help their cause. Syracuse had one of the best passing attacks this season and Kyle McCord set a few different records for the Orange. Defensively Syracuse will have to put pressure on as Washington State runs a balanced offense as far as scoring, but leans heavier on the run. All season long, Syracuse would allow a few big breaks by the run defense. They’ll need to swarm the football and stop big gains.
With how many pieces the Cougars have lost, you can expect some stripped-down version of the playbook. However, that doesn’t mean Syracuse can take them lightly. Washington State wants to finish strong just as much as Syracuse and the guys who are still with the team will be hungry to show their worth. If the Orange come out and play clean, disciplined football the game should go their way.
