Syracuse Football: Top graded players against Florida State
By Andrew Carey
A -. . DB. vs. Florida State. CHRIS FREDRICK
Fredrick is the premier corner for this Syracuse football team and he will be tasked with playing a good amount of man coverage against the top tier receivers in the ACC this season.
On Saturday, he was matched up primarily with Florida State’s Kieth Gavin, a physical 6-foot-3 wide receiver. Gavin wound up having a solid afternoon, accumulating nearly 80 yards receiving, but most of that came late in the game when the contest was all but decided.
Fredrick made his big play in the game early on, when he picked off Seminole quarterback Deondre Francois in the middle of the second quarter.
The Syracuse corner made a big time play on the interception. Fredrick knew that he had help from the safety over the top, so he undercut a “go” route and picked off Francois in Florida State territory.
It was a gamble by Fredrick to undercut the route 20 yards downfield, but he showed trust in his safety and a good knowledge of the team’s defense. Fredrick made an opportunistic gamble and it was eventually cashed in for the Orange’s second field goal of the game.
For the Syracuse defense, it was their sixth interception in just three games this season.
Fredrick also recorded another pass deflection and made three tackles on the day. He played a very strong game against some of the ACC’s best athletes on the outside.
A +. . DE. vs. Florida State. KENDALL COLEMAN
What a job by the defensive line for the Orange in this game. Florida State already had a weak offensive line going into Saturday. But couple that with one of their starting tackles being out and the Seminoles offensive line might be the worst in the ACC right now.
Syracuse Orange
If Syracuse was going to win on Saturday, they were going to need to dominate up front and they did.
Coleman had himself an impressive game against Florida State as he finished with two sacks. Coleman and fellow starting defensive end, Alton Robinson, spent a ton of time in the Seminole backfield on Saturday.
The two combined for three sacks and two quarterback hurries. Chris Slayton also had a good game for the Orange from the interior defensive line position, while backup defensive end Kingsley Jonathan also recorded a sack for Syracuse.
The Orange’s defensive line really set the tone in this game, hitting Francois early and often. A very impressive showing for guys that have had a ton of experience.
If Syracuse wants to continue their early success, they will need the defensive line to keep their motors going.
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Overall, it was a great win for the Orange, but now it’s time for the team to focus on beating UConn in Week 4.