Syracuse Football: Star running back to collide with brutal rushing defense

This Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., Syracuse football and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading rusher will do battle against nationally ranked N.C. State and the Wolfpack’s No. 1 rushing defense in the conference.

The Orange’s star running back, Sean Tucker, will enter this league clash needing just 11 rushing yards over the team’s final two games to break the single-season record on the Hill.

Currently, the sophomore running back has compiled 1,362 yards on the ground to date in the 2021 season. Per cuse.com, the record for rushing yards in a single stanza on the Hill is held by legendary RB Joe Morris, who registered 1,372 yards in 1979.

It’s proven some kind of term for Tucker, who has gotten some Heisman Trophy buzz. Although with the Orange (5-5, 2-4), at best, going to notch seven victories during the 2021 regular season, and that’s a long-shot given the ‘Cuse plays two ranked squads, it’s unlikely that Tucker will significantly contend for the Heisman Trophy at this juncture.

Syracuse football running back Sean Tucker is still in the hunt for the country’s rushing crown.

According to NCAA statistics, Tucker at present is second across the country in total rushing yards. His 1,362 yards only trail Michigan State junior Kenneth Walker III, who through the same number of games has produced 1,473 rushing yards.

It’s going to be hard, but not impossible, for Tucker to surpass Walker. He’s got ground to make up for sure, and the Orange’s next opponent could make things challenging for the ‘Cuse running back.

In the late afternoon on November 20, from Carter-Finley Stadium, Syracuse football will collide with N.C. State (7-3, 4-2), which is rated No. 20 overall in the latest College Football Playoff top-25 rankings.

The Wolfpack, to date, is allowing an average of 102.1 rushing yards per affair, which is No. 1 in the ACC, according to conference stats.

That doesn’t necessarily bode well for Tucker, who carried 19 times for 95 yards last Saturday afternoon in the Orange’s blow-out loss at Louisville.

If the ‘Cuse doesn’t get something going in the passing game, N.C. State could really hone in on Tucker at the line of scrimmage. The same may apply when Syracuse football wraps up its 2021 regular stanza on November 27 by hosting Pittsburgh, which is No. 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

As much as I hope that Tucker prevails in the national rushing race over Walker and others, I just want to see the Orange notch a sixth success to qualify for a post-season bowl. I’m not super optimistic that either will occur.