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Syracuse Football: Florida State game isn’t a skin game but still important

By Paul A. Esden Jr.

SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Trey Marshall #20 of the Florida State Seminoles is walked to the locker room during the first half against the Syracuse Orange on November 19, 2016 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Trey Marshall #20 of the Florida State Seminoles is walked to the locker room during the first half against the Syracuse Orange on November 19, 2016 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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Our Paul A. Esden Sr. suggests a win over Florida State wouldn’t be a skin, but it would be an important conquest for the Syracuse football squad.

The third game of the 2018 Syracuse Orange Campaign is against the Florida State Seminoles. Now as I told you in the ‘Quest for 6’ series this is one of the games that got away from us last year, primarily by dubious decisions by our coaching staff.

Speaking of last year let us break down the numbers:

2017  Rankings Comparison
SyracuseFlorida State
Total Offense23rd100th
Rushing70th76th
Passing18th89th
Total Defense105th18th
Rushing98th31rd
Passing97th29th

Based on last year’s statistics this is going to be Strength on Strength drill. The OITNF versus one of the best defenses in the country last year.

Which is exactly how the game went last year with Eric Dungey our Heisman hopeful putting the Orange team on his back with around 300 yards passing and over one hundred yards rushing before falling short on their comeback bid losing by a field goal.

As we all know we are one third of the way to the ‘Quest for 6’ coming into this game at 2-0 but not really knowing what makes this Orange team tick. They have done what they should have done up to this point but now it is time to put on our big boy pants as we kick off our ACC docket.

This Seminole team is in a similar situation, their fans do not know really what they have for a team.

In their first game they got stomped by Virginia Tech 24-3 on the national stage and followed it up with a tight contest against Samford a lower division opponent. One thing is for sure this is not the powerhouse Seminoles that have been contending year in and year out for the BCS playoffs, they are definitely in rebuilding mode. There is a familiar face for us to keep an eye on and a new one to look out for:

  • Cam Akers returns as the top RB. The Orange faithful will remember as he was the key component that led to last season’s loss when he put 200 yards on the ground.
  • Deondre Francois beat out returning starter James Blackman for the starting QB position. This was an interesting choice, as both quarterbacks had significant experience as a starter with Blackman having the stronger arm but Francois getting the nod.

A key insight to the game is the turnover Florida State has had on the defensive side of the ball losing 6 of their top 7 tacklers from last year. They are also implementing the nickel defense to compensate for this attrition. The experiment is not working too well for the Seminoles as they gave up almost 500 passing yards last week to a FCS opponent. Eric Dungey, Dino Babers and our young receiving corps must be salivating at this opportunity to prove themselves against stiffer competition.

Syracuse Football: Florida State breakdown (Behind Enemy Lines). dark. Next

My game prediction is a win. With the biggest challenges being some of the same one’s I have been harping on all season. We need to run the ball and stop the run. The Orange showed some aptitude in the running game, although I am taking all numbers from last week with a grain of salt. Although this game will not be the ‘skin’ on the wall for this year’s team, it will be a solid win against a conference opponent. So put a little hitch in your giddy-up as you saunter up the hill to support our team and be loud, be proud, BE ORANGE.

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