Syracuse Football: Full game analysis of Week 4 vs UConn

BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 8: Quarterback David Pindell #5 of the Connecticut Huskies passes the ball during first half action against the Boise State Broncos on September 8, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 8: Quarterback David Pindell #5 of the Connecticut Huskies passes the ball during first half action against the Boise State Broncos on September 8, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)

Paul A. Esden Sr gives his full breakdown of the upcoming contest between the Syracuse football squad and the UConn Huskies.

The fourth game of the 2018 Syracuse Orange Campaign is against the University of Connecticut Huskies.

Let us take a moment to recognize the significant accomplishment we have had to date. We are 3-0 with a solid opportunity to go 4-0 on the season, with a game looming against Clemson that will really put our squad to the test!  But I digress and focus on the task for this week.

As always let’s look at last year’s numbers:

2017  Rankings Comparison
SyracuseFlorida State
Total Offense23rd50th
Rushing70th87th
Passing18th34th
Total Defense105th126th
Rushing98th86rd
Passing97th129th

This will by far be the worst defense that the Orange faces this year. As you can tell the Huskies struggled mightily on defense last year allowing 519 yards per game.

The bad news for UConn is that the majority of the production on defense has graduated. The best example of this is they registered 23 sacks last year, 19 of these were made by players who are no longer on the team. Of the starting lineup on defense only five are returning from last year.

Old Mother Hubbard did not leave that much in the cupboard as the Huskies are in significant rebuilding mode. Head coach Randy Edsall is entering his 12th season overall with the team (currently in his second stint), coming off a 3-9 2017 campaign and with a new offensive coordinator has his work cut out for him.

The cupboard is not completely bare and there are a few players to keep an eye on:

  • David Pindell returns as the starting quarterback. A senior who is in second year at UConn having played in seven games last year starting four. David is a dual threat QB who can give the Orange problems on the ground and through the air. This season he has run for 334 yards three TDs and passed for 656 yards six TDs.
  • Kevin Mensah returns at the running back position. He is a sophomore who made an impact last year playing in 11 games and starting the last 4. He has a burst, demonstrated when he ripped off a 70 yard scamper against Boston College. This year he has ran for 285 yards with an impressive run for 55 yards against Boise State.

With all that being said I do believe that UConn will pose a viable threat to dealing us our first loss.  This game should allow the Orange to continue to build momentum on the way to the best start in recent memory. Orange faithful received the great news that Eric Dungey has fully recovered and will start on Saturday. This will allow the OTINF to continue to build chemistry headed into a trip to Death Valley.

My game prediction is a win. This is another game that we should win and need to win on our ‘Quest for 6’.  As we move forward with another win or two under our belt (maybe a shock the world win in two weeks) we might just have the dudes from CNY show up in the Top 25.  Remember to be loud, be proud, BE ORANGE.