Syracuse Football: QB Garrett Shrader goes full beast mode in road rout

I’m the first to admit that, respectfully, Connecticut isn’t a good football team, but even still, what Syracuse football did to the Huskies on the road this past Saturday night was impressive, by and large.

The Orange, led by a reasonably solid defensive showing (although it did give up a 56-yard touchdown reception) and a stellar effort from quarterback Garrett Shrader, absolutely dismantled UConn by a final count of 48-14.

The ‘Cuse moves to 2-0 in this young 2022 season. The Huskies fall to 1-2. Next up for Syracuse football is a home non-conference battle against Big Ten Conference member Purdue (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 17, with the kick-off slated for 12 pm.

Shrader really struggled in the passing game a stanza ago, when the Orange went 5-7 overall, but under the guidance of new assistant coaches from Virginia, he seems vastly improved through the air (at least through two games).

Versus UConn, Shrader was a highly efficient 20-of-23 for 287 yards and three passing touchdowns. He also had two rushing TDs. Naturally, we’ll have to see how Shrader does against tougher competition, but so far this fall, I’m digging what I’m seeing from him.

It proved a relatively complete effort for Syracuse football in handling UConn.

All-American running back Sean Tucker seemed to have a quiet evening by his standards, but he still managed to collect 112 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground, along with 17 receiving yards.

Ten different Orange players caught at least one pass in this encounter with Connecticut, per StatBroadcast data. Catching TD passes for the ‘Cuse were Courtney Jackson, Damien Alford and D’Marcus Adams.

Of all the stats from the Orange’s blow-out triumph over UConn, this one stands out the most. Syracuse football only had three penalties for 15 yards, as compared to a ridiculous 18 penalties for 107 yards in the squad’s week-one win against Louisville, 31-7, from the JMA Wireless Dome.

The Huskies’ defense didn’t have many answers for Shrader, Tucker and the rest of the Orange offense, which racked up 465 total yards to just 202 total yards for UConn.

And here’s something neat. The ‘Cuse had 309 passing yards and 156 rushing yards. For Syracuse football to have nearly double the number of yards through the air as it produced on the ground, to me, is critical for this offense, which lacked balance in 2021.

The Orange prevailed in the turnover department, 2-0. The ‘Cuse won the time-of-possession category by nearly 10 minutes. Freshman Maximilian Von Marburg only had to make two punts.

Importantly, from my perspective, head coach Dino Babers was able to get back-ups into the game for reps at multiple positions, including at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, as well as throughout the defensive unit.

Let’s shout out to the Syracuse football defense, which held Connecticut’s talented running back, sophomore Nathan Carter from Rochester, N.Y., to just 71 yards on the ground after he had generated more than 100 yards in each of his first two contests.

Oh, and despite this non-conference clash taking place at the Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, and not in Central New York, the Orange was still a massive betting favorite.

Prior to the game on Saturday, I opined that I thought the ‘Cuse would cover this giant spread. Many Syracuse football fans laughed at me, and that’s fair. But for once, I was right.