Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse enters conference play with a 3-1 record, already an improvement from the Orange’s 1-10 season in 2020. Florida State’s 0-4 record marks the program’s worst since 1974 and includes losses to two Atlantic Coast Conference teams as well as Football Championship Subdivision team Jacksonville State. 

Quarterback Garrett Shrader is expected to get his second start over Tommy DeVito as the Orange travel to Tallahassee for Saturday afternoon’s game. Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when Syracuse takes on Florida State at 3:30 p.m.

Roshan Fernandez (3-1)
Close call
Syracuse 24, Florida State 21

Florida State allows an average of 3.04 yards per rush, a mark that ranks 54th-best in the nation, and has a defensive front that features Jermaine Johnson, who averages 1.50 sacks per game (second-most in the nation). Syracuse’s offense has primarily run through Sean Tucker and the rushing game, and this game has the makings of a close call. The Seminoles are 0-4, including a loss to FCS team Jacksonville State. But they’re also a team that isn’t used to being winless — they haven’t had a zero-win season since 1973 — and they’ve still got talented players who will put up a fight. The Orange will have to be careful, but they’ll come out of Tallahassee with a victory.

Connor Smith (2-2)
Chop down
Syracuse 28, Florida State 17

Florida State has been one of the top teams in the ACC for over three decades now, and Syracuse has never won at Doak Campbell Stadium. But this year, things are different. FSU is 0-4 and lost to Jacksonville State at home, while SU is 3-1 and beat Liberty last week in the Carrier Dome. 

The Seminoles’ offensive line has struggled this season, while the Orange’s defensive line recorded six sacks last week. Both teams have been inconsistent in the passing game, but Sean Tucker has been one of the top running backs in the country four weeks in and leads the conference in rushing yards. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is “pissed” his team is off to its worst start since 1974, but after this one, FSU will be 0-5, and Dino Babers and Syracuse will be riding high off a historic win that puts them 1-0 in the ACC standings. 

Anish Vasudevan (3-1)
Eating dubs
Syracuse 27, Florida State 18

As the Orange head to the South for the first time this season, they are matched up against a Florida State team that is far from its glory days with Jameis Winston. Syracuse will most likely be “eating dubs” like Winston if it can keep up what’s helped in the last few weeks — establish the run and dominate on defense. Florida State’s defense allows 3.04 rush yards per attempt, which is enough for Sean Tucker to take advantage of, as Babers said his skills revolve around getting those three-, four- or five-yard runs. Defensively, Syracuse’s 3-3-5 defense should be malleable enough to cause problems for the Seminoles, who average 23 points per game this year. The only “what if” for the Orange is if Shrader is the one who should be in charge of Syracuse’s offense. If he performs like he did against Liberty — using the read option on the majority of plays — SU should return from the Sunshine State victorious.

Published on September 29, 2021 at 8:19 pm