Syracuse football will have its hands full with potent Wake Forest offense

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 break down the Syracuse football game at Wake Forest.

Syracuse Orange vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Saturday, November 19, 2022 (time and viewing options TBD)

Location: Truist Field in Winston-Salem, NC

Last season and overall head to head: Wake Forest won 40-37 in 2021. If you’re curious, Winsipedia states that this is one team Syracuse football actually has the advantage over in the history of their playing but not by much. Syracuse football is 6-5 against Wake Forest (possible rival?).

Opponent’s overall record last season: Wake Forest finished the 2020 season 11-3 and 7-1 in the ACC finishing first in the ACC Atlantic division. Played in the ACC Championship game against Pittsburgh but lost 45-21. Defeated Rutgers 38-10 in the Gator Bowl.

Stats from their last face-off: QB Garrett Shrader didn’t light up the scoreboard with passing stats but he did go 15 for 27 for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed 29 times for 178 yards and a touchdown. RB Sean Tucker also had a great rushing performance that even he had to be proud of despite the loss as he had 153 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing plus a receiving touchdown as well. On the defensive side, DB Jason Simmons had 7 tackles and an interception and Stefon Thompson led the team in tackles with 9.

Possible level of difficulty on a scale of 1-10: 8 mostly because Wake generally plays Syracuse football well with Head Coach Dave Clawson in charge. Plus Wake QB Sam Hartman scares me. Wake also gets home-field advantage this time around and while it may not be Death Valley, I expect Wake will play well at home.

Key person on the opposing team: QB Sam Hartman. As mentioned above, he scares me and has announced he’s returning in 2022. He’s a talented quarterback who knows the system well, passed for 330 yards in the last meeting of these two teams and had great chemistry with WR A.T. Perry, who was the receiver with all three Wake TD receptions against the Orange in 2021.

How can Syracuse win: Wake played Syracuse football previously when they were undefeated and the Orange played them close. Last season Andre Szmyt missed a field goal that could have made this a tie. With new special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky on board, I’m fully expecting a returning Szmyt to be more consistent and could contribute hugely if this is another close game. Stefon led the team in tackles last time these teams played and is returning to the Orange so hopefully he can have another big game. COVER A.T. PERRY!!!!

Other news, notes and nuggets:

– Glazed & Confused > Krispy Kreme (although when the hot light is on, those glazed donuts are amazing).
– I hate to agree with Paulie Scibilia on ESPN Radio Syracuse (I kid Paulie, I kid)  but I have to credit him with this since I recall him saying it first but if there is a football program that Syracuse should aspire to match with it’s Wake Forest. Wake is a small private school and their program is one that some Syracuse fans might not like to hear is currently better than results-wise on the field but it’s true. Since 2016, Wake has played in a bowl game every season and is 4-2 in those games. Wake was also in the ACC title game just this past season even if Pittsburgh did defeat them.
– Having lived for 20 years within an hour of Winston-Salem, I can honestly say if I grew up in the region as a kid, I’d likely have been a Wake fan (either them or NC State). Also before my dad passed in 2015, he had a series of health issues and Wake Forest Baptist Health took great care of him. Hard for me to root against them except when they play the Orange.
– Curious if anyone famous attended Wake Forest other than athletes (although that list includes Arnold Palmer and Brian’s Song inspiration Brian Piccolo and that’s pretty cool)? According to Google, that list includes writer and public radio host Melissa Harris-Perry, NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn, Miss USA 2019 Chelsie Kryst, as well as One Tree Hill & Boy Meets World actor Lee Norris (aka Stuart Minkus) and Archie Bunker himself Carroll O’Conner. I always like these lists because it’s cool to me when I find out if someone attended Syracuse University so it’s equally fun to see who else went to these other schools.
-If you have never been to Truist Field in Wake Forest, it’s actually a nice, little outdoor football stadium. I went with my mom once years ago (we sat 2nd row right behind Riley Dixon and the special teams group) and the staff and environment were enjoyable. It would be the last time I attended a sporting event with one of my parents as my dad was too sick to attend with us and we lost him shortly after this and then my mom’s Alzheimer’s got worse and it was harder to attend events with her as well and we eventually ended up back in NY. Having said all that, if you are looking for a fun place to watch the game with no frills and just enjoy a game, this is a very nice stadium.