Syracuse Football: Orange receivers are key to success or failure in 2019

Syracuse football experienced too many mistakes in its Week 1 matchup. The success or failure of 2019 will depend on the Orange WRs stepping up or not.

It’s time for Week 2 of college football and the Syracuse football team looks forward to making the trek down to College Park to face the Terps.

But before we can look ahead to Week 2 we must look back at Week 1. Syracuse got their first win of the season in a 24-0 victory versus Liberty. However, the Orange were far from perfect on offense. Even at times, the offense looked sloppy.

With a few adjustments, they could get their offense firing on all cylinders relatively quickly.

First, let’s look at the positives.

The Orange run game looked sharp as expected. Moe Neal led the charge with 89 yards. Neal, Adams, and Howard all reached the end zone for a successful opening week.

But that success didn’t carry over to the rest of the offense. Tommy DeVito made his first career start and it wasn’t the prettiest of debuts. DeVito went 17-for-35 for 176 yards and tossed two interceptions. Overall, it seemed like the timing was off with his wideouts and there was clear miscommunication.

With a young quarterback at the helm, the receivers must step up. Top receivers dropped passes against Liberty and if that occurs in key situations this week that will severely cost the Orange.

The Syracuse wide receiving corps took a massive blow by losing Jamal Custis to graduation. Last season, Custis had 906 receiving yards and hauled in six touchdowns. The production left by Custis is going to be hard to fill for this year’s squad.

There are three key receivers that need to step up and help Devito out this season. Those three are Sean Riley, Trishton Jackson, and Taj Harris. Riley and Harris are both Orange veterans and had productive seasons in 2018.

Trishton Jackson perhaps has the most expectations, being the transfer from Michigan State. In Week 1 Jackson didn’t seem to stick out at all. He recorded 3 catches for 21 yards. Sean Riley also dropped a couple of passes against the Flames.

Sean Riley is the main returner for the Orange. But this season he must jump to the next level as a slot receiver. He is going to be key in the ‘Cuse offense. He needs to be used in the middle of the field during no-huddle situations to move the offense forward.

Once Syracuse gets into the red zone that is when Trishton Jackson needs to shine. Another note should be that the Orange running backs are also capable pass catchers as well. Look for Moe Neal to extend many plays if DeVito cannot find his primary look.

In Week 2 look for Jackson and Riley specifically to stick out. If they step up then the offense should be right back on track. If they can’t help DeVito then it’s back to the drawing board for head coach Dino Babers.