Syracuse Football: Orange’s one-dimensional offense simply isn’t cutting it

An explosive running attack can only get you so far, as Syracuse football found out over the weekend.

The Orange offense couldn’t get anything going at Louisville this past Saturday afternoon, and the Cardinals (5-5, 3-4) would end up crushing the ‘Cuse, 41-3.

When head coach Dino Babers made the bold move to replace Tommy DeVito at quarterback in favor of Garrett Shrader, that change likely meant that the Orange would become a heavier running squad.

Shrader, as we all know, can be pretty lethal running the ball. He and Syracuse football running back Sean Tucker form a deadly one-two punch on the ground.

But for some of the flaws that DeVito may have possessed, at least he appeared to be a pass-first quarterback. Shrader is not, and the one-dimensional offense that the ‘Cuse currently employs doesn’t seem to be sustainable, at least in my humble opinion.

Syracuse football absolutely needs a more balanced offensive system.

The Orange managed just one win a stanza ago, so where the ‘Cuse (5-5, 2-4) finds itself with two contests remaining in the 2021 regular season – needing one victory to earn a bowl bid – shouldn’t get discounted.

However, as talented as Shrader and Tucker are at running the ball, if there isn’t any kind of passing attack for Syracuse football, that bodes trouble for the Orange. Again, this is solely my opinion.

Sure, when an opponent has a poor run defense, you can run the ball down their collective throat. And with Shrader and Tucker leading the charge, Syracuse football has effectively done that on several occasions.

But at the collegiate level, even a poor run defense can adjust throughout a 60-minute encounter. If all the ‘Cuse does is run the ball, an opponent will eventually stack the box with a ton of defenders, and that can – and will – make things more challenging from a rushing perspective.

The Orange must have a legitimate passing system to keep defenses honest. Syracuse football doesn’t necessarily need a quarterback who averages 300 passing yards a game, given Tucker’s phenomenal abilities.

But … Shrader tallied a paltry 46 passing yards in the Louisville debacle. That isn’t going to cut it. With virtually no threat of a solid passing game, Cardinals defenders honed in on Tucker, limiting him to 95 yards on the afternoon.

For all of 2021, Tucker is averaging 136.2 rushing yards per affair, which is tops in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He’s second nationally in total rushing yards, according to NCAA.com.

Shrader, who I totally acknowledge has performed quite well this season as it pertains to rushing the ball, is averaging 116.5 passing yards per game. That’s last in the ACC.

By extension, Syracuse football leads the ACC in rushing yards per meeting, while the ‘Cuse resides in the league’s basement as far as passing yards a game are concerned.

The Orange has shown that it can conquer some foes simply by dominating in the rushing department (and, of course, playing well on defense and in the special teams).

However, for Syracuse football to reach that next level, attain bowl eligibility in 2021, and consistently succeed over the longer term, it has to shore up its passing attack and find better balance on offense.