Syracuse Football: Reassessing the season at the bye, revised outlook

Neil Adler (Contributor)

The Syracuse football squad is inching closer to the half-way mark of its 2019 campaign, and it’s proven a slightly disappointing stint so far, in my humble opinion.

The Orange sits at 3-2, with a trio of conquests that didn’t really impress me, and two blowout losses to Maryland on the road, and to then-No. 1 Clemson inside the Carrier Dome.

After reflecting on what’s transpired to date, and looking ahead to the remainder of the crew’s regular-season schedule, I’m forecasting that the ‘Cuse is going to end up at a fairly pedestrian mark of 6-6. Here’s why.

The offense, although inconsistent, to say the least, has the potential to put up points in droves. Special teams, well, not much to discuss there. It is one of the premier units in the country. That leaves the defense to address. My hope is that Syracuse’s defensive group, given the upcoming bye week, will have an opportunity to rest up and get more healthy, as several key guys have had to deal with various injuries of late. Heck, the defense allowed an astonishing 63 points to the Terrapins, 41 points to the Tigers, and 33 points to Western Michigan, albeit the Orange won this contest by dropping 52 points on the Broncos.

A lot of folks probably view the fate of the current stanza on an offense led by quarterback Tommy DeVito, who does have a handful of weapons at his disposal. For me, the ‘Cuse defense will make or break this term, and unfortunately, I think that Syracuse will continue to cough up points in substantial amounts.

Examining the affairs left on the docket, at N.C. State is a loss, Pittsburgh at home is a victory, at Florida State is a setback, Boston College in Central New York is a success, then perhaps a split of two road encounters versus Duke and Louisville, followed by a defeat at the hands of Wake Forest on the Hill during Senior Day. Those results lead the Orange to arrive at 6-6 and – fingers crossed – a bowl berth.