Syracuse Football: Turnover department is so critical versus Wake Forest

Syracuse football will have to take tremendous care of the football when the Orange hosts Wake Forest on the Hill.

In the 2020 campaign as well as during other recent stanzas, Syracuse football has proven stellar in the turnover arena, although the Orange didn’t fare so well in this category amid a loss at No. 1 Clemson a week ago.

The main issue for the ‘Cuse, however, is that Syracuse football hasn’t cashed in its takeaways for touchdowns all that much in the fall term.

Now the Orange (1-5) is set to host a solid Wake Forest group on Saturday afternoon inside the Carrier Dome, with kick-off slated for 12 pm and television coverage provided by the ACC Network.

This Atlantic Coast Conference clash between the ‘Cuse and the Demon Deacons (3-2) in Central New York will occur without fans in the stands, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Syracuse footballs fans, frustrated by a disappointing season to date that has come as a result of poor play and a host of significant injuries to the team’s roster, are hoping that this game on Halloween will bring some treats to the Orange, rather than another defeat.

While the ‘Cuse played the top-ranked Tigers relatively tough on the road on Oct. 24, when Wake Forest suited up on that same day, the Demon Deacons notched an upset of No. 19 Virginia Tech, 23-16, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

That outcome represented the first instance in which Wake Forest conquered a top-25 squad dating back to November of 2018, according to this announcement.

Syracuse football will welcome to town a Wake Forest crew that excels in the turnover-margin sphere.

Per a press release on the Wake Forest athletics department Web site, the Demon Deacons presently are the sole FBS team with a positive double-digit turnover margin (+11) in the 2020 campaign.

Statistics on ncaa.com show that Wake Forest currently checks in at No. 5 nationally in turnover margin per game, whereas the Orange is placed at No. 10 across the country.

That’s a daunting data point for Syracuse football, especially because the Demon Deacons in recent seasons usually have a high success rate of emerging victorious when they dominate in takeaways.

Wake Forest defenders are among the best in the sport in coming away with interceptions. Conversely, on the other side of the field, the Demon Deacons running attack is piling up rushing touchdowns at an impressive clip of late, and that doesn’t bode well for a ‘Cuse defense which is woeful against the run.

On Saturday, the Orange will seek to make it two straight wins at the Dome, as Syracuse football dispatched of Wake Forest, 39-30 in overtime, during the 2019 stanza.

All-time, the Orange is 6-3 against the Demon Deacons, including a 4-1 mark at home, according to cuse.com. To continue its prosperity versus Wake Forest, Syracuse football must prevail in the turnover section.