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With Syracuse (1-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) on an off-week, our beat reporters decided to give each position group a grade from A to F. No Whitman curve here.

Below is The Daily Orange’s bye week report card: 

Quarterback

Anthony Dabbundo: B

I really don’t believe Syracuse’s issues on offense begin at the quarterback position. Tommy DeVito showed flashes of what he can do, but he needs more time and better receiver play. Sometimes he holds the ball too long, but he’s not close to Syracuse’s biggest problem on offense. Rex Culpepper may have been in over his head, but even JaCobian Morgan flashed some promising signs against Boston College. If you’re looking for SU’s offensive issues, look elsewhere. 

Danny Emerman: C+

It’s tough to give the quarterback position a grade here, considering how much turnover there’s been. DeVito, as expected, was Syracuse’s most effective passer, but even he took too many sacks and threw two uncharacteristic interceptions. Culpepper wasn’t the answer, and it’s probably too early to tell for Morgan, who impressed in his first start. Syracuse’s offense — designed to create big passing plays — is 86th in the FBS for explosive play percentage. A good portion of the blame has to fall on the Orange’s QBs. 

Adam Hillman: B-

I’ll take the middle ground of three grades. The carousel of quarterbacks — outside of a few Culpepper games — hasn’t been the offense’s issue with the passing game. The wide receivers are inexperienced, and No. 1 target Taj Harris’ performances are erratic. DeVito’s horrible performances early on were offset by an impressive outing against Georgia Tech, and his injury led to unexpected snaps for Culpepper. The injuries are obvious, and Culpepper’s struggles factor into the blame. But I see more pressing issues for this offense. 

Running back

Dabbundo: A- 

Given that the Orange have been without their top three running backs from the start of the season, the emergence of Sean Tucker and Cooper Lutz has been one bright spot. The opt-outs of Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard, along with Jawhar Jordan’s injury, have made this one of the Orange’s thinnest spots. Tucker is a newcomer, but his low center of gravity makes him tough to bring down, and he’s averaging five yards per carry. Lutz filled in admirably following Tucker’s injury, and given that I thought this would be a bad spot for SU, it has turned out not to be. 

Emerman: A

It’s in vogue to say running backs don’t matter, but this Syracuse team kind of embodies that idea. The talent difference between a true freshman fourth-stringer and Syracuse’s top two backs is negligible at best. Tucker has been a terrific surprise for SU. He runs hard, shakes arm tackles and is a decent pass blocker. He needs to improve his receiving out of the backfield, but that’s nitpicking for a freshman who’s provided stability and played through injuries. Even Lutz has done well behind Tucker, giving SU its strongest offensive unit even with Adams and Howard opting out.  

Hillman: A

The running backs have been perhaps the most impressive position group for Syracuse. The unexpected opt outs of Howard and Adams left a void at the position, but Tucker has shown he may be the best back on the roster, even when the two experienced ones return. His power running game has offset a disappointing passing game, impressing in almost every outing. Lutz’ ability in swing passes and outside runs adds versatility to an offense lacking many weapons. The running backs, what many thought was a problem, is a strength for SU.  

Katelyn Marcy | Digital Design Director

Wide Receiver

Dabbundo: D

It depends on the development of Anthony Queeley, but this offense wide receiver room has massively underperformed. Replacing Trishton Jackson is a tough ask, but the Orange haven’t even come close. Harris has hit some deep plays, but the play-to-play success has been rough. It’s been far too much boom-or-bust from this wideout group, who has often looked out of sync and has dropped passes. SU needs to develop some wideouts or find some transfers to avoid being in the same spot this time next season. 

Emerman: C

It’s often tough to tell who’s to blame on a failed play between an SU receiver and quarterback. The offense relies heavily on option routes, so miscommunications have happened relatively often, especially without spring ball. Harris is averaging 72.4 yards per game and was once leading the ACC in total yards, but he also has some crucial drops and is First Team All-Bad Body Language. Queeley has been a pleasant surprise, shining in Harris’ one-game absence for flipping off a camera, and his development will be key for SU going forward.

Hillman: D

I expected this offense to be terrible but not this bad. A lot of the blame has to fall on the wide receivers. Harris has been up-and-down, Queeley has shown flashes and Nykeim Johnson is far more of a threat on punt and kickoff returns. But that’s about it. No one else has more than 50 yards receiving or a touchdown. This has been one of SU’s most disappointing groups, and that’s a bold statement given my expectations for them.

Tight End

Dabbundo: B-

This tight end duo of Aaron Hackett and Luke Benson is a ‘what could have been’ position for the Orange. I don’t understand why they aren’t more involved in the SU offense, given that both have shown an ability to make plays for the Orange. Hackett received high scores for his blocking from PFF, Benson found the end zone on a big play against Duke, and the Orange really should use these two more. Eleven combined season catches is not enough. At this point, why not try. 

Emerman: C+ 

Another group that’s tough to grade, this time simply by virtue of small sample size. Tight ends have never been featured in Dino Babers’ offenses at Syracuse, and this year is no different, despite the lack of outside receiving talent. Benson and Hackett both seem skilled but have only combined for 11 catches. Their blocking has been key in unlocking the run game and bolstering the offensive line, but it remains a mystery why they’re not targeted more downfield. 

Hillman: B

I don’t blame this position group’s lack of production on themselves. Any Syracuse fan knows how important Hackett is in run blocking and what Benson can do in the open field. Unfortunately, Sterlin Gilbert’s offense doesn’t utilize tight ends, just like Babers’ offenses of years past — even if it’s one of Syracuse’s best positions. 

Offensive Line

Dabbundo: C-

The Orange’s offensive line was another injury or two from a complete disaster. They’ve avoided that, but they still haven’t been good. While the Orange haven’t given up as many sacks in recent weeks as they did early in the season, they still rank near the bottom in line yards and haven’t done well against four-man rushes. Syracuse’s No. 1 downfall has been offensive line play for two seasons, and this group hasn’t performed well enough to keep the offense afloat. I’d argue Chris Elmore has been their best offensive lineman, and that’s a major concern, given the other four have much more experience.

Emerman: B-

All things considered, this offensive line has been good enough. The unit’s expectations to begin the season were about as low as possible, but the product on the field has been far from disastrous. Elmore has been great at guard, and Airon Servais, who’s started every game since his freshman year, has remained an iron man. The line’s also improved since the beginning of the season; SU has an 8.16% sacks allowed rate in its last three games compared to its 11.55% overall. For reference, the Orange had an 11.44% QB sack rate in 2019. 

Hillman: B

I’ve been impressed by the offensive line’s performance. Babers couldn’t have expected to be without both Dakota Davis and Chris Bleich three months ago. Yet, he’s adjusted by moving Elmore and plugging in Darius Tisdale. Carlos Vetterello has been far improved at center, and Matthew Bergeron has been consistent at tackle. Syracuse has still allowed 32 sacks on the season, but 21 of those came in the first four games. Since then, SU has had a decent front five.

Syracuse football’s defensive line struggled through the first half of the 2020 season.Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line

Dabbundo: C

Replacing defensive linemen Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson was never going to be easy, but the Orange’s front three has really struggled against the run this season. There have been good games, but the consistency has been lacking. They’ve allowed the fifth most line yards in the ACC and have the third lowest stuff rate. That makes it tough for me to give them anything higher than an average grade.

Emerman: C-

There’s not much to like about Syracuse’s defensive line. The Orange have 13 sacks, tied for second-fewest in the ACC, and two of those came from defensive backs (when it comes to blitzing in the 3-3-5, it’s fair to lump defensive line in with the linebackers). The Cody Roscoe, Josh Black and McKinley Williams line also hasn’t put up much resistance at all in the running game. 

Hillman: D

I expected this to be a strength for SU entering the year. With three upperclassmen manning the front three, it was expected to be solid. In turn, SU has been slashed game-after-game by dominant running backs and has only sacked opposing quarterbacks 13 times. Replacing Robinson and Coleman was always a tough task, but their production has been lacking.

Linebacker

Dabbundo: B+

The Orange’s linebacking corps has seen some shuffling due to injury, but one major constant has been the emergence of Mikel Jones. All of the cliché sayings about him aside, Jones has made a difference in creating turnovers, generating pressure with some well dialed-up blitzes and leading a defense that has improved from last season.

Emerman: B-

Jones has been nothing short of a revelation. He leads the team in tackles with 56 and is both effective in run-stuffing and sniffing out screens. Freshmen Marlowe Wax and Stefon Thompson have played okay, but they have a lot of room for improvement. The young group overall remains undersized and is a big reason for the Orange’s ACC-worst run defense. 

Hillman: C+

Linebacker has been a mixed-bag for Syracuse. The position group has shown fight, and Jones has made play after play, but tackling has been an issue. A fair share of the run issues must be attributed to the linebackers, especially when playing a 3-3-5. The group is very young, and the emergence of Jones and Lee Kpogba has helped shore up holes, but I’d like to see a bit more consistency the last three games. 

Katelyn Marcy| Digital Design Director

Secondary

Dabbundo: B+

I truly believe they’d be one of the best units in the country if healthy. We’ve seen that Ifeatu Melifonwu and Trill Williams are very capable defensive backs in coverage. Andre Cisco is an NFL player, and he showed that with his run support and ball hawking ability. Garrett Williams has emerged as one of the nation’s better cover corners, even as a freshman. This unit had so much potential and has still performed well, despite the injuries. 

I won’t penalize the Orange for injuries here, but the backup safeties have been a major issue. It’s hurting them in the run game more than anything. Overall, this B+ is not in the A range because of those injuries. 

Emerman: B

The secondary is Syracuse’s biggest “what could’ve been” group. Even after its two best players, Cisco and Williams, got injured and subsequently opted out of the season, the secondary has still held up. Williams has been terrific in coverage — he still hasn’t allowed his matchup to catch a touchdown — and projects to become Syracuse’s next stud DB. Melifonwu has also continued to star in the slot. Reserves Aman Greenwood, Rob Hanna and Ja’Had Carter have largely struggled, especially in helping out against the run, but they’re all inexperienced and should eventually grow into prominent roles. 

Hillman: A- The injuries to Williams, Coley and Cisco are well documented, and I’m not going to blame Greenwood, Carter and Hanna for the struggles early in their career. They weren’t supposed to be out there this season, and it’s obvious. But they’ve improved drastically in the passing game, and their mistakes this season will show them where they need to improve entering 2021. Melifonwu and Williams have held the pass defense together by shutting down outside receivers. Given the adversity, this has been a positive year for the defensive backs. 

Special Teams

Dabbundo: A

The Orange’s most successful unit of the last few seasons is back and just as good, despite losing punter Sterling Hohfrichter to the NFL. Nolan Cooney has been one of the nation’s top punters, kicker Andre Szymt has been as consistent as ever and the Orange have improved their efficiency in kick and punt return, with Johnson returning kicks. This group is not the reason the Orange are 1-7. 

Emerman: A+ 

This group has been lights out in every way. Szmyt has continued to produce on his way to the all-time school record for field goals made. Cooney has stepped into Hofrichter’s role excellently, routinely pinning opponents inside their 20. And Johnson has been even more effective than Sean Riley, averaging a stellar 12.91 yards per punt return and 22.93 per kickoff return. Opponents have probably learned by now not to kick to Johnson, Syracuse’s most explosive playmaker.

Hillman: A

Once again, Syracuse’s special teams are its best unit. Cooney has the most punts inside-the-20 of any ACC punter and Szmyt has only missed two field goals. Johnson has been electric on punt and kickoff returns and should have a return touchdown against UNC if it wasn’t for a needless penalty. SU fans have grown to expect this group to be dominant.

Published on November 11, 2020 at 9:39 pm