Syracuse Football: Five major storylines for the Orange at the Hokies

So Saturday afternoon, the Syracuse football team will travel down Route 81 to Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, for a match-up with Virginia Tech.

The Orange will look to secure its first Atlantic Coast Conference win, after three heart-breaking setbacks to league opponents in a row.

As I sit down and look at this game, it’s one filled with storylines that could be impactful for the rest of the season for both teams and the future of their programs.

Here are five storylines I’ll be looking at when this Syracuse football game takes place.

Survivor: Coaches Edition

This might be a battle of two coaches fighting to prove they deserve to remain head coach of their programs. Much like speculation and discussions in Syracuse surrounding the future of head coach Dino Babers, it seems the same discussions exist with regards to VT head coach Justin Fuente. VT is currently 3-3 and Syracuse is 3-4 with blogs and social media buzzing with possible replacements for both coaches.

I’m not a fan of speculation during the season especially with many games left to play that could change things. What if something clicks and they win out? Do you think 7-4 or 6-5 is good enough to keep their jobs? And to say “that’s impossible” is merely an opinion so maybe fans should breathe and wait until after the season to see how it plays out. Losing this game though does make it harder for the losing coach to prove his case and makes that mountain a bit more steeper to climb.

Sean Tucker: 2nd in nation & 52 yards to 1,000

I’m confused why the Orange’s record has any impact on a potential Heisman candidacy but apparently, it does. I understand if one particular player carries his team to a championship or something giving them more credit but to leave someone out who is accomplishing so much because the team has lost three close games is ridiculous in my opinion. The guy is second in the nation in rushing… SECOND!

Running back Sean Tucker only needs 52 more yards to reach 1,000 with FIVE games remaining (plus a possible bowl game). To put that into perspective, the record for rushing yards by a sophomore belongs to Joe Morris who I think had 1,372 that season. Tucker would need to average about 85 yards a game to surpass that mark set by the former Syracuse football captain, second-round NFL draft pick and SU’s career rushing leader.

Cody Roscoe’s house of sacks and tackles for losses

Speaking of NCAA statistics, Cody Roscoe is tied for 4th in the country in sacks (7.5) and 5th in tackles for a loss (10.5). The defense is definitely playing amazing ball as a unit and keeping Syracuse football in games, and it’s hard to ignore those stats. Anyone who watched the games likely recognizes how frequently his name comes up along with Mikel Jones and Marlowe Wax Jr. as well as that Josh Black guy.

Special teams: help or hindrance?

I don’t think I’m talking out of school here when I say that the Syracuse football special teams unit has had some struggles this season, including the reliable Andre Szmyt. To be fair to Andre, most of those kicks missed were beyond 40 yards, which can happen, and many pointed out that in the final attempt against Clemson there was an issue with the laces. But it’s hard not to wonder if there is a jinx there.

Is this due to losing coach Justin Lustig to Vanderbilt? I don’t know what’s wrong but I hope this is not a continuing issue that holds the team back from winning.

Will officiating impact the outcome?

I’m sorry but far too often this season, there have been questionable calls (or non-calls) by officiating that did impact the outcome of the game. But this isn’t exclusive to Syracuse football, as it seems like even the NFL has had some issues, as well as Virginia Tech.

I will be the first to remind people that officials are human and I’m not perfect either so I don’t expect others to be nor do I want anything to do with being an official myself. But there has to be a way to correct things that are obvious and/or at least can be proven when it impacts the outcome of the game.

I’d also add that it annoys me that some replays take too long to sort out especially when they say “there’s not enough evidence” over and over again or still make a bad decision. Please find ways to limit the number of times where the outcome especially is impacted by a bad call or lack thereof.