Syracuse Football: Breaking down the Orange 2022 schedule, Purdue

Before the Syracuse football 2022 schedule was released, I said that despite the tough teams on the schedule, I thought this team could still have success and be a bowl team based on what I have seen so far this offseason. And when the schedule came out, it does appear difficult but I still stand by it.

So I sat down and decided that instead of just saying that I believe it again, I wanted to break the games down one by one and give you the information you need to decide for yourself. I will go game by game with fun stats like head-to-head outcomes, players to watch, my way too early rating of difficulty, and a few other notes that might help.

Here are the teams scheduled and links to those that are already published in case you missed one:

Louisville

UConn

Purdue

Virginia

Wagner

Bye Week

NC State

Clemson

Notre Dame

Pittsburgh

Florida State

Wake Forest

Boston College

Let’s go a bit further in-depth on Syracuse football hosting Purdue.

Syracuse Orange vs Purdue

September 17, 2022 (time and viewing options TBD)

Location: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY

Last season head to head: Have only played each other once ever. In 2004, Purdue destroyed the Orange 51-0.

Opponent’s overall record last season: 9-4 (6-3 in Big 10 Conference play). Beat Tennessee 48-45 in Music City Bowl.

Stats from their last face-off: According to ESPN, former Chicago Bears QB Kyle Orton passed for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns. For Syracuse, Coach P was the head coach, freshman Joe Fields was the quarterback in his first game (though Perry Patterson came in later in the game as well) and Walter Reyes was the running back held to 31 yards and also fumbled the kickoff.

Possible level of difficulty on a scale of 1-10: 7. Tempted to go 8 but Purdue has never played in the Dome so I’m hoping for a little home-field advantage to help out. Needless to say, Syracuse football can win but it won’t be easy.

Key person on opposing team: Aiden O’Connell. Aiden is Purdue’s Sean Tucker, once buried deep in the depth chart but proved he belonged when his number was called. He is a returning Covid 5th-year senior so he knows their system well and the Syracuse secondary will have to play a good game and maybe get Mikel Jones and Marlowe Wax to put some big-time pressure on him.

How can Syracuse win: As I said earlier, if the defense can keep O’Connell guessing, that’ll help. Give Tucker a lot of carries offensively and ride his coat tail. Last season, according to NCAA official stats, Purdue was 77th in the country stopping the run but 33rd defending the pass so exploiting that run defense could be key. Also, I think something else that could make a difference is the fan base. A loud supportive crowd could help Syracuse’s confidence and intimidate Purdue.

Other news, notes and nuggets:

– The only things I know related to Purdue is the chicken, especially the Dino nuggets that my kids love, and that my friend and neighbor in Plum, PA, named Jay was accepted there. Jay and I used to laugh drinking IBC root beer because they looked like beer bottles. Hey, we were high school seniors and not the coolest of kids…it was funny to us.

– If the Orange wants a shot at a bowl game, the best way might be to finish this game at least 2-1 but preferably 3-0. This will also help build interest and excitement in the fan base as well. I think this game could be one where if fans are loud and Syracuse football wins, we might see more fans wanting to attend and be a part of the excitement. Start out 1-2 or 0-3 and cue all the “Fire Babers” talk consuming social media and sports talk, especially with the level of difficulty getting higher after their bye week two weeks after this game.

– Dome Dogs > Famous Franks

– Football greats Bob Griese and Drew Brees went to Purdue but so did some well-known space explorers like Charles Walker, Andrew Feustel, Beth Moses and the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong. Google is a fun tool when you’re trying to figure out something fun or relevant to post.

– It’s still wintertime in CNY and no TV schedules have been announced but if I had to guess, I’d think this game has ESPN or ESPN 2 potential especially if both teams can get off to good starts.

– Could we see more matchups of these two teams in the future based on the new alliance announced between the ACC, Big 10 and Pac-12? If this is a drag-out, hard-fought, close game, could we see a new “rivalry” emerge?