Syracuse @ Northwestern Preview: A Breakdown of the Orange

Who Is Syracuse? 

Syracuse is a private school from Syracuse, NY, with an undergraduate population of a little less than 15,000. In terms of education, US News and World Report ranks them a respectable 58th among national universities. Their athletic teams, called "The Orange," formerly "Orangemen" and "Orangewomen," play in the ACC.

How Did They Do Last Year?

Last year, Syracuse went a solid 8-5, including wins against #9-ranked, Sugar Bowl Champion Lousiville and against West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl. 

Recent History Against Northwestern

Syracuse and Northwestern have played three times since 2008. The first, in '08, was an easy victory for the Wildcats behind a solid effort by C.J. Bacher, Tyrell Sutton, and the Northwestern defense in their season opener. 2009, on the other hand, is a game I'd like to forget. Greg Paulus, a former Duke point guard (you read that correctly) thrashed us for 346 yards and 2 TDs. Receiver Mike Williams alone was responsible for 209 of those yards. Despite Mike Kafka's 35-42, 390 yard effort, the Wildcats were unable to counter, as they put up only 52 rush yards. Last year's match-up was also not pretty, but at least it went for a Wildcat victory. The Orange's Ryan Nassib threw for an insane 482 yards, but Venric Mark had a breakout game, particularly on punt returns, and Trevor Siemian came off the bench to lead a thrilling game-winning drive.

Coaching

Scott Shafer was officially named the Orange's head coach in January of this year after previous head coach Doug Marrone left for the Buffalo Bills. Shafer previously served as Syracuse's defensive coordinator. Under his tenure, the Syracuse defense improved immensely. Replacing Shafer at defensive coordinator is Chuck Bullough, formerly linebackers coach for the Cleveland Brown. The offensive coordinator is George McDonald, whose last job was wide receivers coach at University of Miami. 

Players to Watch For

Drew Allen: The senior QB was listed as an "or" on the depth chart alongside sophomore Terrel Hunt entering last week, but Allen played the entire game, so I assume he is the go-to starter for the Orange at this point. That being said, Allen was no Ryan Nassib in his first start. He completed only 16 of 37 passes for 182 yards, two interceptions, and no touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if Hunt ever makes an appearance.
Jerome Smith: Both the junior Smith and senior Prince-Tyson Gulley will share the load at running back, but, to me, Smith is the more threatening of the two. Last year, he got more carries than Gulley (Gulley was more of a threat than Smith in the receiving game) en route to a 1,000 yard+ season. He added 2 TDs and 72 yards against Penn State last week.
Marquis Spruill: If I have to pick one defensive player to look out for in this game, I'm going with senior middle linebacker Spruill. Spruill started 12 games last year, and performed admirably, including 8 tackles against the 'Cats. He was most adept at making plays in the backfield, including 9 tackles for losses on the season and 2 sacks.

Syracuse Pass Offense vs. NU Pass Defense

Drew Allen did not look good in week 1, but we'll see how he looks coming out with a week already under his belt. One has to assume the game plan is to target Dwight White's side of the field early and often. White is inexperienced and looked poor off the bench last week. The Orange's depth chart includes two starting wide receivers: Jarrod West, a junior who was Syracuse's third-leading receiver a year ago, and Adrian Flemming, a senior who recorded his first two career catches a week ago. As or right now, it is impossible to say who White will be primarily responsible for covering. Senior Chris Clark and junior Jeremiah Kobena will also see time at receiver. Sophomore H-Back Ashton Broyld should also get involved in the pass game. Collin Ellis is likely to be responsible for covering him, and, if Ellis plays half as well as last week, that should not be an issue. Also, keep an eye on TE Beckett Wales, Syracuse's fourth receiving option last year. Overall, I like the 'Cats in this match-up. While White may not be great and may occasionally get burned, he should look far better with a week of prep behind him, and NU's safety corps should be good enough to back him up. I also like VanHoose against West or Flemming. The primary reason I like NU, though, is simply that Allen looked unimpressive in his first start, and I don't see that changing dramatically this week. Advantage: Northwestern

Syracuse Rush Offense vs. NU Rush Offense

Jerome Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley should both see carries in this game. Smith was the better player a week ago, getting in the endzone 2 times and adding 73 yards on 16 carries. Gulley was fairly mediocre, rushing for only 24 yards on 12 carries. Drew Allen does not appear to be a threat in the running game. I have to like Northwestern in this match-up as well. As noted in last week's game recap, Northwestern shut down the Cal run game following the initial drive, and I have to believe this Syracuse offense is not as good as Bigelow and the rest of the Cal offense. Advantage: Northwestern

Syracuse Rush Defense vs. NU Rush Offense

This is a tough match-up to call for a couple reasons. First and foremost, it is unclear how much of a contribution, if any, Venric and Colter will have this weekend. Clearly, our gameplan changes significantly depending on how much they play. That being said, I believe Green and Trumpy are decent running threats regardless. Second, Syracuse embarrassed the Penn St. running game as they went for only 57 yards. It is unclear to me whether Syracuse's run defense is really good or Penn State's run offense is just bad. I think some of the latter option comes into play, but I don't want to take anything away from a Syracuse run defense that truly did look impressive. All this being said, I'm tentatively going to give this matchup to the 'Cats, primarily because I think Colter and Mark will play at least some role in this game. Advantage: Northwestern

Syracuse Pass Defense vs. Northwestern Pass Offense

Even if Colter does play, I expect Siemian to be the primary passer for this game, and I'm ok with that. Despite forcing some passes last week, Siemian looked good, and having a better idea of what his role will be entering into this week should be helpful. On top of this, both Joneses and Vitale looked like very good targets, and I assume Rashad Lawrence will get himself into the mix. From the other end, Syracuse allowed Penn State a hit-or-miss passing game from Christian Hackenberg. And last year, the Syracuse pass defense was mediocre. All things considered, Siemian and his receiving corps look like the more impressive side in this match-up. as well. Advantage: Northwestern.

Syracuse Special Teams vs. Northwestern Special Teams

We will win this match-up. I can probably just say that right off the bat about just about every team we'll play this year. Syracuse's kicker Ross Krautman has gotten worse every year he has been at the school, beginning with an 18-19 FG year his freshman season, through a 15-23 season last year. Last week, he went 1-2, missing a 42 yarder and making a 32 yarder. Punter Jonathan Fisher has had a mediocre career, averaging 38.58 yards per punt last season. George Morris II is getting his first shot at kick returning this year, so it's too early to evaluate him, and punt returner Ritchy Desir is pretty average in his role. Even if Mark doesn't do return duties this week, I like Northwestern at every position in the special teams. Advantage: Northwestern

Bottom Line

Northwestern is the better team across the board. We should not have too much difficulty moving the ball or stopping it. It is true: strange things happen with Northwestern, particularly against Syracuse, but being away from the dome, and instead surround by the buzz of our home opener, should help. I don't see much going wrong here. Prediction: Northwestern 44 - Syracuse 24.