Syracuse Football: Eric Dungey has His Work Cut Out for Him

Syracuse Football WR Amba Etta-Tawo graduated. So where does that leave Syracuse and its receiving corp? Inside the Loud House looks at the impact it will have on starting QB Eric Dungey.

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Syracuse football has been a pretty decent team the last two years when quarterback Eric Dungey has played. We have not won most of those games, but not all the blame should fall on him. Syracuse lacks the talent around him to truly have a winning program.

Last year, Dungey benefited from the incredible grad-transfer from Maryland, Amba Etta-Tawo. He passed for 2679 yards in nine games to go with 15 passing TD’s, six rushing TD’s, and 7 INT’s, according to ESPN.com. Of those, at least half those yards went to Etta-Tawo. Another 800 or so yards went to Ervin Phillips. After that, the receiving corps hardly caught anything.

So who’s left that’s coming back this year at the WR, TE, or RB position? Here’s a list of the best returning receivers from last year, how much they caught through the air, and what class they’ll be in next year:

Returning Receivers:

(Note: All Stats/Info are according to ESPN.com)

As you can see from these numbers, after Phillips the receiving numbers were pretty pathetic. The only two reliable receivers in this bunch are Phillips and Steve Ishmael. The good news is those two were the best producing receivers after Etta-Tawo last year. After that there is a major drop off in production.

Syracuse had 24 passing touchdowns last year, according to ESPN.com. Of those 24 TD’s, only 7 TD‘s worth of production return. So Syracuse Football lost 70% of its scoring through the air to graduation. In addition, of the 3855 yards passed through the air last year, only 1,696 yards worth of production return. Therefore, that means we lost 56% of our passing yard production to graduation.

Syracuse Must Find Another Option

Syracuse Football WR/RB Ervin Phillips is the best producing receiver the Orange have returning next year. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

So Eric Dungey has his work cut out for him. He’s going to have find other players who can score next year besides those two. If he doesn’t Syracuse may struggle to score. That’s not saying these other players aren’t talented, they just need to step up and catch something when its passed their way.

I believe somewhere in this group, or the incoming recruiting class, there is someone who can step up and help relieve pressure off of Phillips and Ishmael. I know Phillips and Dungey have a connection, but that won’t be enough to win games. Syracuse needs someone else who step up and be a second or third option. Without those other options it will be hard for Syracuse to move the ball and score.

Next: A Conversation With Amba Etta-Tawo Following #CuseProDay

I guess what I’m saying is that someone has to step up, otherwise it will be another long year for Dungey and Syracuse football, not to mention probably another losing season.

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