Syracuse (1-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) is coming off a 45-20 loss to South Florida and enters its Week 4 matchup with Connecticut (1-2, 0-1 American Athletic) on a two-game losing streak. Saturday’s 1 p.m. matchup is also SU’s first road game of the year.

Beat writers Tomer Langer, Chris Libonati and Jon Mettus discuss three questions surrounding Syracuse.

How important is Syracuse’s game against Connecticut in terms of SU’s postseason hopes?

Tomer Langer: I mean, it’s an important game in the sense that Syracuse really should win this game. But even with a win, Syracuse’s bowl-game chances are fairly slim. This game is more important for morale, for the players, coaches and fans. Dino Babers said he felt down after back-to-back losses and called Syracuse the toughest transition he’ll have. Losing to Louisville and South Florida are understandable, but a loss to the Huskies would really begin to bring about doubts just four games into Babers’ tenure.

Chris Libonati: It’s everything. Syracuse was always a fringe bowl team and it has to beat Connecticut to keep itself in contention. SU only has three games the rest of the season that should be competitive: UConn, Wake Forest and Boston College. And Wake has looked good so far this season. Dino Babers’ crew would also probably have to beat Virginia Tech and North Carolina State. Both games are at home, so maybe that’s positive? Silver linings, man.

Jon Mettus: Syracuse’s hopes for a bowl game were slim before the season started and are just as slim now. There are only three very winnable games left on the schedule. Assuming the Orange wins all of them, which is a big assumption, it would still only have four wins on the season, missing bowl eligibility. So, dropping the most winnable out of them all in the Connecticut game is not an option. With the amount that head coach Dino Babers talks about time it’ll take to turn the program around, I’m not even sure he’s worried about the postseason just yet.

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MORE COVERAGE:

• Amba Etta-Tawo named to Biletnikoff watch list
• Three things Dino Babers said at his weekly press conference
• For Syracuse football, change is painful

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Is the Orange’s offense good enough to compensate for its defensive flaws?

T.L.: Not in the slightest. And it’s not really anybody’s fault that Syracuse got bit by the injury bug. But losing two starting secondary members for good, as well as injuries to Rodney Williams and Kayton Samuels in the past week, really highlighted just how thin SU is defensively. As it stands now, SU’s offense will score points in sporadic bunches (17 first-quarter points against USF, two touchdowns in two minutes against UofL). But the defense will consistently give up points, and that’s the problem.

C.L.: Not now. Injuries really have usurped a lot of the potential positives Syracuse could have taken from its defense. Antwan Cordy was supposed to be SU’s playmaker and he’s done for the season. The group has very little depth. The defensive line has taken a clear step back (although, the group should get better next season) because of its lack of depth and lack of experience. The linebacking crew is the most intact unit to this point. This offense is good, don’t get me wrong, it’s just not good enough.

J.M.: At the beginning of the season, I would have said yes. We all knew, or should have known, that the defense was going to struggle and give up yards. What I didn’t realize was how susceptible it would be to the big play. Add in the injuries to Cordy and Juwan Dowels and the defense is in major trouble. We’ve seen how good the offense can be (i.e. the 17-point first quarter against South Florida), but I don’t think it’ll consistently be good enough to compensate for the defense.

Jessica Sheldon | Photo Editor

Through three games, what has surprised you most about Syracuse?

T.L.: In all facets it has to be SU’s receiving core. I don’t think anyone could have expected such an outrageous three-game stretch by transfer Amba Etta-Tawo, who set the record for most receiving yards in a three-game stretch to start a career in SU history. And Ervin Phillips, one year removed from the hybrid position, has caught 30 balls in three games, good for third best in the country.

But at the same time, Steve Ishmael, SU’s most consistent receiver the past two years, has had a disappointing start, hauling in just 13 passes for 131 yards. Those numbers put him around the same pace as last year, but when you figure that he’s playing in a more pass-friendly offense with more weapons to distract the defense, it is a little disappointing that he hasn’t made more of an impact.

C.L.: I expected SU to lose and lose big at times, but it has just absolutely been shredded. I expected SU to periodically keep up early in the season, but it hasn’t kept up as much as it should be able to. Some of that can definitely be attributed to injuries. Otherwise? Not much. I thought this team would be approximately what it has been over the first three games.

J.M.: The number of big plays the defense has given up three games into the year has been the biggest surprise to me. It was obvious that the defense would have many struggles, but the Tampa 2 that Syracuse runs is designed to limit the big play. It’s a bend-don’t-break kind of defense with the safeties controlling two deep zones the majority of the time. The zones allow underneath throws, but are supposed to prevent deep passes. That, however, hasn’t been the case over the last two games. Babers attributed it to the players reverting briefly back to old habits.

Published on September 21, 2016 at 1:03 am