Before we put the 2018 Syracuse football season in the rear view mirror, let’s give one more long look at what transpired over the last few months.
Wow I can’t believe it’s over. That was the most exciting Syracuse football season we’ve covered here at Inside the Loud House this century.
The Orange checked off a ton of things off the proverbial bucket list: top 25 for the first time since 2001, undefeated at home (6-0) for first time since 2001, 10 wins for the first time since 2001, among several other accolades.
Not only did the Orange have a wonderful regular season that was filled with highlights: defeating No. 22 NC State and beating Florida State for the first time 1966 (the only other time Syracuse has beaten the Seminoles). But this team also appeared in a bowl game for the first time since 2013 and won emphatically in the Camping World Bowl vs West Virginia, winning 34-18.
This season had every ingredient you were looking for: celebration, heart ache, sadness, and euphoria. It was an emotional roller coaster, but do you remember every bump during this ride? Let’s take a look back at every positional group, each side of the ball, evaluate the coaching performance, and give you a sneak peek for 2019!
I have to start this off by saying thank you Eric Dungey. Thank you for giving the Orange your heart, your soul, your sweat, your blood, and your tears. The Orange have never seen this type of dedication to the program.
So it pleases me to say for the first time in Dungey’s career he started every game of the 2018 season. I didn’t know, to be honest with you, if that was ever going to happen. We had already seen three years of history that suggested it wasn’t going to happen. But this year everything cracked the right way for Dungey.
He was of course banged up throughout the season and there were a few scary moments (particularly Notre Dame where Dungey collapsed to the ground and reportedly couldn’t walk correctly after the game), but he survived.
Although I can’t talk about the quarterback position if I don’t mention the youngster Tommy DeVito. Considering Dungey’s injury history, most assumed that we’d see a great deal of Tommy DeVito and we did. DeVito is a key reason why Syracuse had the success they did this season (see Florida State and North Carolina games as prime examples).
Now maybe I’m a bit harsher of a grader then most considering the Syracuse running backs this season, but I hold a high standard as a former running back. As a team the Orange rushed for 2,477 yards, at 4.4 yards per clip, and totaled 35 combined touchdowns.
The lead runner was Moe Neal with 827 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and he really stepped up in a big way for the Orange. But with Neal failing to crack the 1,000 yard barrier, the drought continues another year for Syracuse.
The Orange haven’t had a 1,000 yard rusher since 2012, this is a University that is known for their running backs and that is what eats away at me. Next year Syracuse will have Oklahoma transfer Abdul Adams and he should help the cause a great deal (more on that later).
Although a piece this Syracuse team will desperately miss going forward is something that has been taken for granted over the last four years, Eric Dungey running the ball. Dungey was second on the team in rushing (732 yards and 15 touchdowns) and over the years transformed his skinny frame into a Greek god like beach bod that could take the pounding of the ACC.
Well the streak of record breaking video game numbers ended (kind of) in 2018. I guess every year of Dino Babers there will be some sort of offensive historical figure destroyed, but there wasn’t a Steve Ishmael –or– Amba Etta-Tawo like season.
The leading receiver was Jamal Custis, a fifth year senior, with 46 receptions for a team leading 826 yards and six touchdowns. Pedestrian numbers really when you consider what Ishmael and Etta-Tawo accomplished years prior.
But just because they didn’t have a single guy take the reins, doesn’t mean it wasn’t successful. Sean Riley led team in receptions (63) and really matured in 2018.
Since we’re also considering tight ends in this group Ravian Pierce was the lead man. But sadly much of his season was robbed away via injury. Pierce had such a high ceiling coming over as a JUCO transfer and if we’re being brutally honest, he never reached his true potential for a variety of reasons in Orange.
This year was interesting, but 2019 (more on that later) will be truly special for the Orange. When you think of all the players that slowly developed this season from Nykeim Johnson and his big play ability to Taj Harris, things are only going to go up from here.
The straw that stirred the drink for the Orange was their offensive line. Without them they couldn’t have put up video game numbers rushing the ball, passing the ball, or quite frankly keeping Eric Dungey upright.
Syracuse got a gift from the gods that shouldn’t be taken for granted: Koda Martin. When does a starting SEC level tackle drop from the sky and gets plugged into your starting lineup? Apparently when said player marries the daughter of a highly successful college football coach in Dino Babers. Or when your father works for said father in law for Syracuse.
No matter what way you slice it, Koda brought a huge sense of stability to the Orange’s offensive line in 2018. The only bittersweet moment about this is Martin will be one-and-done at Syracuse. He was a grad-transfer and now will seek opportunities in the NFL or a different career venture.
A couple of lapses happened for the O-Line this season particularly in the Notre Dame game where Tommy DeVito and Eric Dungey were thrashed. In fairness, the Irish had one of the best defenses in college football and ended up in the College Football Playoff.
Here are some of the raw numbers this year from the offensive side of the ball (all stats provided by NCAA.com):
- The Syracuse offense scored at least 40 points eight times this season
- Overall the Orange had the 11th highest scoring offense in all of college football (40.2 points per game)
- Syracuse had the 24th best offense in terms of getting first downs
- Syracuse averaged 264.7 passing yards per game, good for 31st in the country
- In terms of explosive plays, Syracuse ended up 50th when you look at passing yards per completion (12.7)
- The Orange ended up with the 78th highest completion percentage rating in the country (combining all passing attempts on the season)
- SU had the 76th most efficient passing offense in the country
- In terms of the time of possession battle, Syracuse was 46th in the country (averaged 30 minutes per game)
- Syracuse averaged over 200 yards rushing per game, good for 37th on the year
- The Orange offensive line allowed 2.87 sacks per game, that ranks 109th in all of college football
- 21st best red zone offense in the NCAA
- Syracuse only lost six fumbles on the season, that’s tied for 19th best in the NCAA in 2018
- Most importantly Syracuse was top-15 in winning percentage in 2018
This is the unit Dino Babers has desperately been waiting for. Does anyone else remember when this was a Swiss cheese position that Babers threw freshmen out there because he had no other choice? Well throwing those players to the wolves wasn’t fruitless.
Alton Robinson led the team in sacks with 10 and was a ferocious stud all year long. For those who don’t know, Robinson has had a very long road to get here to the ACC that started back with the Aggies of Texas A&M (to know the full story just google his name).
Sadly his season ended on a sour note with him missing the Camping World Bowl due to “personal reasons”. Here is fact: it has nothing to do with the 2019 NFL Draft. Here is opinion: knowing it wasn’t about the draft, hearing Dino Babers’ comments leading up to the game, it seems to me it was a team violation issue, which is disappointing.
The team expects him back in 2019, which is a huge plus. Kendall Coleman was the opposite end who had a really good year himself with seven sacks. But was snubbed by the ACC in terms of recognition, which is a damn shame. Overall a really great unit which is only going to get better.
This grade isn’t meant to insult, it’s actually damn impressive to be honest. This unit went through a literal transformation on the field, but it didn’t start that way. Two of the best linebackers in program history (Zaire Franklin and Parris Bennett) both moved on to NFL gigs and left a cataclysmic hole in the middle of the defense.
A bunch of converted guys had to adjust and get thrown into the mix (Kielan Whitner, former member of secondary and Ryan Guthrie, a former member of defensive line). Whitner had some time to adjust learning under Franklin and Bennett and Guthrie had some prior experience at linebacker, but that’s a pretty monumental shift.
Guthrie somehow ended up second team all ACC and Babers said he sees him playing on Sundays in the pros. He’s another guy who transferred over to the Orange and also led team in tackles with 101, a crazy transformation.
Whitner and Guthrie relied on senior leadership to guide the Orange and did a remarkable job, this grade arguably could be a B-, but it was the Achilles heel for the Orange defense and often was the matchup the opposing offense tried to exploit.
This happened exactly as I predicted before the season! Andre Cisco who we interviewed before his freshman season for the Orange here, would lead ALL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL in interceptions. We can’t seem to find where we predicted this, but trust me 100 percent we nailed this.
In all seriousness though, wow what a season from the secondary. Cisco will get a lot of the credit and for good reason, he was exceptional but it was more than him. This team as a whole created turnovers (31 gained, tied for third best in all of college football) and that gave the offense additional whacks at the mole to churn out points.
Antwan Cordy had a relatively healthy season and was the heart beat of this Syracuse defense, sadly a personal situation robbed him of his final two games and bowl appearance. There’s a chance he could return to the Orange for one additional season in 2019.
An under the radar guy who had a big impact: Chris Fredrick. Syracuse will have a ton of continuity heading into 2019 with all of their main cornerbacks returning and hopefully the majority of their safeties.
Here are some of the raw numbers this year from the defensive side of the ball (all stats provided by NCAA.com):
- Syracuse ended up in the top-7 in the country in third down conversion defensive percentage
- The Orange also were top-28 in the country in fourth down conversion defensive percentage
- 16th best red zone defense in the country
- 6th most sacks in all of college football (43 sacks)
- Top-20 in the country in tackles for losses per game (7.4)
- 13 fumbles recovered this season (fifth best in the nation)
- 18 interceptions (fifth best in the nation)
- Fifth in turnover margin
- In 9 of the 13 games this season, Syracuse allowed 21 points or more defensively.
- The Orange were 115th in the country in terms of passing yards allowed
- Syracuse was 63rd in the country in terms of rushing yards allowed
I believe the moniker is “defense wins championships”, but it should be changed to “special teams wins championships”. While Syracuse didn’t walk away with the National Championship, they walked away with the Camping World Bowl trophy, almost as good.
Andre Szmyt went from unknown walk-on to Lou Groza award winner. The best part? He still has another three years on the hill left here with the Orange. This wasn’t just a historic season for Andre, it was almost the best season we’ve ever seen from a kicker in college football history (finishing just one made field goal short of the single season record).
Sterling Hofrichter wasn’t the same superstar he was in 2017 this season, but still ended up as one of the best punters in the nation.
Syracuse overall ended with a top-five (out of the whole country) special teams efficiency rating from ESPN. They didn’t give up big plays on returns and Sean Riley had a tremendous impact as a returner, that is a recipe that separates the good teams from the great teams.
Is there a grade higher then A+? Now I consider myself a hard grader, so I want to explain fully why Dino Babers and this entire coaching staff deserve the highest grade possible.
- Exhibit A: After Syracuse got demolished and embarrassed by Boston College to end the 2017 season, Dino Babers made a bold statement. “2018 is going to be a year we talk about on the hill for a very long time.”
- Now pause the story for a second, what does that phrase mean? That doesn’t sound like 6-6, that sounds like something special, something really really special.
- Babers unnecessarily put himself on the line and he delivered with the season we’ve been discussing throughout this article. Everyone likes pointing out when a coach says something stupid, I think it’s time that we point out when someone nails something.
- Week 5: Syracuse lost 27-23 to Clemson
- The Orange dominated this game throughout and lost control near the end of the game. This game though proved the Orange were for real. After beating Clemson in the Carrier Dome, the Orange went down to Death Valley and dominated the Tigers when they had everything to play for. Syracuse may have not gotten the win, but they earned respect.
- Week 6: Syracuse lost 44-37 to Pitt
- Frustrating loss, Syracuse got off to a 14-0 lead and when it looked like the Orange would be on cruise control they folded. It was all sparked by a questionable forward progress call where Dungey was stripped of ball and it was returned for a touchdown.
- Week 11: Syracuse lost 36-3 to Notre Dame
- I was at this game, the whole game changed when Dungey was ruled out for the contest. The game likely would’ve had a very different outcome, Notre Dame dominated and this was the first and only blowout the Orange suffered all season.
- North Carolina: 40-37
- Western Michigan: 55-42
- NC State: 51-41
- Eric Dungey
- Jamal Custis
- Cody Conway
- Koda Martin
- Aaron Roberts
- Chris Slayton
- Kielan Whitner
- Ryan Guthrie
- Tommy DeVito
- Abdul Adams
- Trishton Jackson
- Alton Robinson
- Kendall Coleman
While they certainly could’ve won at least two of these games, it’s only fair to point out they could’ve also lost a handful of 50-50 games:
In terms of the fairness considering 50-50 games, I’d say Syracuse fared really well. If I would’ve told you that the Orange would finish the season 10-3 before it even started, you would’ve laughed in my face.
People would’ve been THRILLED with a 6-6, .500 type season, and they got well more then that. How can this year be graded any differently?
So 2018 was pretty cool, but will it be one and done?
Here are the players who are graduating from Syracuse of major impact:
Some overall thoughts here, Dungey is obviously one of the best quarterbacks in program history so he will be sorely missed. Jamal Custis had his best year of his Orange career, but the future of the receiver position looks good for 2019.
I can’t underestimate the loss of three starting offensive linemen for the Orange in 2019. If there’s any reason to be pessimistic about the future, that’s where you could point too.
Chris Slayton is a guy many in the national media don’t know extensively, but from people I speak with, he’s expected to be the best NFL prospect among Syracuse players moving on to the next level.
Another pair of linebackers are leaving Syracuse in back-to-back years. In 2017 it was Zaire Franklin and Parris Bennett, now it’s Whitner and Guthrie. Franklin and Bennett were far more accomplished, but the transformation of Whitner and Guthrie was impressive.
Here are the new players who will be taking on larger roles in 2019:
DeVito is the future and has been heralded as that since he has committed to the Orange. He’s got massive shoes to fill with Dungey leaving, but he should have plenty of pieces around him to try and succeed.
Namely Abdul and Trishton, two transfers coming from blue blood programs in Oklahoma and Michigan State respectively. Both have shown in the Spring Showcase in March and the Camping World Bowl in December that they’re ready for larger roles.
Here are important players who will be returning in 2019:
Syracuse had the best defensive line in 2018 that they’ve had in a very long time. Both of these players are potential double digit sack artists and with both returning that won’t help ACC quarterbacks sleep any better at night.
What do the national pundits think of the 2019 Syracuse team to be?
In the 2019 WAY too early top-25 poll via ESPN, Syracuse is ranked 15th. ESPN sort of apologized for overlooking Syracuse in the prior year’s poll, but let’s be honest, Syracuse came out of nowhere. The team had back-to-back 4-8 seasons under Dino Babers before exploding in 2018 with the first 10 win season since 2001.
Here’s what we know so far about the 2019 schedule (via Cuse.com):
2019 Syracuse Football Schedule
Aug. 31 at Liberty
Sept. 7 at Maryland
Sept. 21 vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 28 vs. Holy CrossACC home games: Boston College, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest
ACC away games: Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC StateInteresting nugget, Syracuse will face three schools that will have new head coaches in 2019 (Liberty, Maryland and Louisville).
Now there was a very pivotal moment of the season I’d like to take a closer look at. Syracuse started off the season 4-0 and everything was peaches and cream, then suddenly the Orange lost some mojo in their razor close loss to Clemson.
Then the Orange lost another razor close game to Pitt, things started to spin out of control. It looked as if Syracuse was going to lose their third straight to North Carolina with mere minutes left in the game, Babers pulled Dungey and inserted Tommy DeVito into the game.
DeVito saved the team throwing for three touchdown passes and 181 yards in the fourth quarter and double overtime.
If the Orange would’ve lost that game, they’d have lost three straight heading into a prime time game vs ranked NC State and could’ve easily lost four in a row. Syracuse would be 4-4 and I’d venture to guess this season would’ve been perceived a lot differently.
Babers masterfully orchestrated the quarterback decision. He knew when to switch quarterbacks, he knew when to stick with Dungey (had his best game of the year the following week vs NC State), Babers could’ve bombed that and lost the season, he didn’t. That’s an A+ coaching job if you ask me.
Could this season have been better? Sure technically speaking. Syracuse finished 10-3 and here are those three losses: