Unless Syracuse football reverses course, Pitt’s run game will punish SU

Based on what happened to Syracuse football last Saturday in a blowout loss to Notre Dame, if the Orange doesn’t right the ship as far as the rushing department is concerned, the ‘Cuse could be in for a long afternoon when it travels to long-time rival Pittsburgh this coming Saturday.

The Fighting Irish, in defeating the Orange by 17 points on the Hill, pushed the ‘Cuse around, totally outmuscling Syracuse football in the run game.

The Orange has an athletic defensive line, without question, but the ‘Cuse defensive line is also relatively young, not overly big and physical, and has been hampered by injuries.

As a result, the Notre Dame offensive line pushed Syracuse football around, and the Fighting Irish ended up with a massive rushing advantage, to the tune of 246 yards to 61 yards on the ground. I fear we may see much of the same when the Orange plays at Pittsburgh this Saturday afternoon.

Syracuse football faces a huge challenge in the running arena versus Pitt.

In this Atlantic Coast Conference clash that will go down on Saturday, Nov. 5, beginning at 3:30 pm, both the No. 22 Orange and the Panthers enter having lost two straight games.

It’s true that Syracuse football (6-2, 3-1) has a better record than Pittsburgh (4-4, 1-3), but the Panthers appear to be a bad match-up for the ‘Cuse.

Similar to Notre Dame, Pitt is a physical team. I’m concerned that the Panthers’ offensive line will dominate the line of scrimmage against the Orange’s defensive line.

In racking up a big rushing edge over the ‘Cuse, the Fighting Irish was able to go on methodical drives that resulted in a wide margin as far as time of possession goes.

The same held true in the prior ACC encounter for Syracuse football, as No. 5 Clemson stormed back in the fourth quarter to stun the Orange. The Tigers, like Notre Dame, destroyed the ‘Cuse on the ground. Clemson controlled the time-of-possession category as well.

With the Orange’s last two foes easily winning on the ground, that has resulted in the ‘Cuse Mob defense getting gassed after being on the field for way too long.

And as I already mentioned, the Syracuse football defense has lost multiple key players to season-ending injuries, with the most recent example being star cornerback Garrett Williams.

The Orange offensive line has to carve out more space for star running back Sean Tucker, while the team’s defensive line has to hold its own as best that it can.

Easier said than done. From an offensive standpoint, Pittsburgh and the ‘Cuse average roughly the same amount of passing yards per game, but don’t forget that Syracuse football starting quarterback Garrett Shrader didn’t play in the second half versus the Fighting Irish.

According to the ACC’s Web site, as a collective unit, Pittsburgh is No. 5 in the conference in rushing yards per contest, whereas the Orange is No. 7 in the league.

On the opposite side of the field, the Panthers’ defense allows just 120 rushing yards per game, which is No. 4 in the ACC. In this category, Syracuse football resides at No. 8.

Individually speaking, Pittsburgh and the Orange have the top two running backs as it relates to rushing yards per encounter, although the Panthers’ RB is far exceeding Tucker at this juncture in the 2022 season.

In fact, Pitt junior running back Israel Abanikanda presently checks in at No. 3 across the country in total rushing yards, at 1,086, to go along with a ridiculous 16 touchdowns.

Tucker, on the other hand, is No. 2 in the ACC but No. 24 nationally, with 758 rushing yards, as well as seven touchdowns.

I’m just really concerned about this match-up for the ‘Cuse. In the squad’s 2021 regular-season finale, on the Hill, Pittsburgh crushed Syracuse football, 31-14.

Tucker only had 13 carries for 29 yards on the ground, and he voiced his displeasure with the team’s performance, and the play-calling, in his post-game tweet.

If the Orange rushing attack can’t do better than it did a year ago versus the Panthers, and also the past two weeks for the ‘Cuse, then that is a significant issue.

Syracuse football needs a competent ground game to sustain drives and keep the depleted ‘Cuse defense off of the field. What’s more, when the Mob is playing, I fear that Pittsburgh will punish the Orange defense with the Panthers’ own star running back.