The running game is alive for the Syracuse football team. It only took three weeks to get there, ITLH breaks it all down.
Syracuse football took care of business this past Saturday against Central Michigan by a score of 41-17. SU got off to a slow start as Central Michigan’s defense gave the Orange offense fits. The Orange turned up the attack in the second quarter thanks to some big plays by the defense and the offense’s emergence of a run game.
One of the key plays of the game came in the second quarter courtesy of Syracuse cornerback Chris Fredrick. Fredrick undercut a route and came up with the second interception off of Central Michigan quarterback Shane Morris. The Syracuse offense would later cash in scoring a touchdown and seizing all momentum, taking a seven point lead heading into the locker room.
The Syracuse offense had a nice balanced day passing for 279 yards and rushing for 300 yards. That is the largest rushing total for Syracuse under head coach Dino Babers, if Syracuse can run the ball well the remainder of the season watch out.
On the defensive side of the ball Syracuse forced three turnovers. Fredrick came up with a big interception as mentioned above, while strong safety Evan Foster made a huge play as he returned one interception for six, knotting up the score in the second quarter.
In this post we will not only break down who played well, but we will also look at the Syracuse players that underperformed. We will keep in mind who will need to be better if Syracuse wants any chance next weekend against LSU.
Sean Riley was all over the field Saturday for Syracuse. On just two kick returns, Riley averaged 49 yards per return including one return for 64 yards that set up Syracuse’s game tying score in the second quarter. This explosive return, which Riley almost took to the house really sparked a lethargic Syracuse team.
In terms of receiving, Riley had a huge day too. The California native hauled in four catches for 81
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yards an average of 20 yards per catch! One catch that Riley made really stood out as quarterback Eric Dungey was escaping a collapsed pocket, Riley made a heady play going deep to get open. He hauled in a 44-yard reception that would set Syracuse in the red zone where Dontae Strickland would cash in one play later.
In the running game Riley was also dynamic. As the Dino Babers era has moved on, Syracuse’s play calling had gradually gotten more creative. This is a welcoming sight for some Syracuse fan’s who couldn’t fathom why Syracuse has never really had a high-flying offense since they have been in the Dome. Riley took four handoffs for 47 yards. All of his carries came on jet sweep plays, until Riley finally broke one of them for a big 41 yard gain.
Syracuse will want to get Riley out in the open field all season as he is incredibly dynamic and tough to track down. If the short speedy player can continue to make strides in the receiving game it will give Syracuse three real threats in the passing game. Ervin Philips and Steve Ishmael are the known commodities, but if Riley could emerge that would be huge.
Foster once again makes it on the player grade post as the young safety has been impressive thus far on the season. Foster did well in coverage. Once again on most plays I noticed him, often picking up running backs in the flats or slot wide receivers. As noted on the first slide of the article, Foster’s big play occurred when he came up with a huge 24-yard pick six. This tied up the game and really energized the Orange sideline who anticipated a play like that.
In terms of tackles Foster had a relatively quiet day recording one solo and one assisted tackle. He made a really bad play when Shane Morris connected with Central Michigan wide receiver Cameron Cole. Foster was not assigned coverage against the receiver, instead he was the safety assigned with help over the top. When he came over to try to make the tackle, Foster completely whiffed and took out the Syracuse corner and Cole walked into the end zone for a 56 yard TD.
The Michigan native will need to be good throughout the entire season in pass support for Syracuse. A secondary that is already without its leader Antwan Cordy until the Clemson game in week seven. He is seventh on the team with nine tackles and has the only points for a member of Syracuse’s defense. The pick six was huge along with Foster’s coverage. However, the poor angle he took resulting in Central Michigan’s first touchdown will make his grade a little lower.
What can you say about Coleman, this kid is off to a great start this season. The true sophomore started all last season as a freshman and was thrown into the fire of an ACC schedule. Coleman and fellow sophomore Josh Black have been much more disruptive this season at their defensive end positions.
Coleman is tied for second on the team in tackles with 16 and has two tackles for loss on the season. More important than the numbers, Coleman has been getting in the vicinity of the quarterback making him uncomfortable in the pocket. This is made even more important that putting up huge sack numbers.In my opinion, you would rather have your defensive ends affect the quarterback on two or three throws a drive, than one who makes a sack every other drive.
Coleman’s performance was absolutely stellar against Central Michigan. The Indianapolis native racked up nine tackles from the defensive end position, count ’em NINE!!!! This was tied for the lead of tackles on the team along with Rodney Williams. That is incredibly impressive for a defensive lineman. Coleman assisted on one tackle for a loss, but by him racking up this many tackles means that he has a tremendous motor and pursues the ball.
The sophomore will be a name to look out for the rest of the season and years to come. He has a bright future ahead of him, and a coming out party this weekend against LSU would be a huge help for a Syracuse team looking for a signature upset win.
Steve Ishmael WR Sr.
The senior mainstay at wide receiver once again had a big week for the Orange. Ishmael has clearly taken over for Amba Etta-Tawo as the number one receiver in the Syracuse high-flying offense. Ishmael has yet to find the end zone on the season, but his numbers are still very impressive. On the season, Ishmael has 34 receptions for 389 yards, good for an average of about 130 yards receiving a game.
The Miami native hauled in eight receptions for 139 yards and was once again targeted a ton by Eric Dungey. Ishmael had a couple of big receptions over the middle of the field including a long of 51 yards, an aspect of Syracuse’s passing attack that needs to be used much more. I think Ishmael is a perfect fit to run routes over the middle, at 6-foot 2 and weighing just under 210-pounds he is a big target that will prove to be valuable if Syracuse continues to target him in those situations.
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All day Steve was hunting the end zone and it looked as though he may finally find it in the third quarter, when Dungey hit him on a post route. Ishmael broke two tackles and was on his way to the goal line, but was tracked down from behind and had the ball punched out by a Central Michigan corner. Thankfully for Syracuse, the turnover didn’t result in Chippewa points, but it could have been a big swing in momentum.
Syracuse will need Ishmael to win is matchups this upcoming weekend against LSU if they want to even be able to move the ball.