Syracuse Football: Defense plays well, offense flat again in loss to Pitt

Syracuse football hung around with Pittsburgh on the road, but the Orange offense is really struggling through two games.

For the second-straight week, Syracuse football has fallen on the road to a ranked Atlantic Coast Conference foe, as the Orange offense is performing at a really disappointing level to begin the 2020 campaign.

No. 25 Pittsburgh (2-0) managed to take care of business at home from Heinz Field on Saturday afternoon, 21-10, as the ‘Cuse (0-2) can’t get anything going on the offensive side of the ball.

Without question, Syracuse football fans are frustrated, and that’s understandable. In its fall opener, a 31-6 setback to then-No. 18 North Carolina a week ago in Chapel Hill, N.C., the Orange accumulated only 202 total yards of offense.

Well, in its defeat at the hands of the Panthers, the ‘Cuse did record its first touchdown of the 2020 stanza, however, Syracuse football collected just 171 total yards on offense in a league duel where starting quarterback Tommy DeVito, a redshirt junior, got banged up and had to give way to his back-up, redshirt senior Rex Culpepper, who performed admirably.

Through a pair of ACC clashes, the Orange offense has generated a mere 373 total yards on offense, and one touchdown. That won’t enable the ‘Cuse to register many victories in the 2020 term, even if the 3-3-5 defensive scheme is doing its part.

The Syracuse football offense is virtually non-existent, again, in a 21-10 loss at Pittsburgh.

Hopefully, DeVito is okay, health-wise, moving forward, although I’m sure that some Syracuse football fanatics are calling for Culpepper to get the starting nod at quarterback in the next encounter, when the Orange will host Georgia Tech from the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Sept. 26, with kick-off slated for noon.

We documented earlier this week how DeVito would have to step up following the fourth-quarter debacle by the ‘Cuse last weekend versus UNC.

Unfortunately, he didn’t do that, but in all fairness, the wide-receiving core dropped some catchable passes yet again, the team as a whole committed some untimely, costly penalties, and a beleaguered offensive line couldn’t contain the feisty Pitt defense. DeVito, much like against the Tar Heels, got sacked multiple times by Panthers defenders.

Furthermore, the Syracuse football running attack needed to vastly improve after the season-opening loss to North Carolina, in part so that the Orange offense could sustain longer drives and give the defense a breather.

Similar to DeVito having a rough outing, Syracuse football running backs proved ineffective, with the squad as a whole producing only 51 yards on 34 carries, which translates to a paltry 1.5 yards per attempt, according to ESPN.com.

The ‘Cuse has a week to regroup, and the team has to get significantly better on offense if it wants any hope of securing a win on the Hill versus the Yellow Jackets next Saturday afternoon.