Weekly Preview: Syracuse

Image Credit: Terrapin Station MD

Opponent: Syracuse Orange (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference)
Location: Carrier Dome (49,262)
Date: Saturday, September 20, 2014
Time: 12:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: ACC Network, Terrapin Sports Radio Network

(Discuss this article on the BSL Message Board here.)

Opponent Preview

The Syracuse Orange are currently in their second full season as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and are fresh off of a Texas Bowl win over Minnesota in 2013. They have started off the 2014 season with a 2-0 record after a close call in overtime against Villanova and a convincing 40-3 victory over Central Michigan last week. Scott Shafer is in his second season as the head coach of the Orange after taking over for Doug Marrone when he left for the NFL after the 2012 season.

The Orange are led offensively by senior quarterback Terrel Hunt, who had a breakout game against Maryland last season. He was ejected halfway through the team’s game against Villanova for throwing a punch at an opposing player, but put together a very impressive performance last week against Central Michigan. In that game, he completed 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 175 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 13 times for 92 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is a very talented dual-threat quarterback, and the offense is designed around his ability to both run and pass effectively.

George MacDonald is the team’s offensive coordinator, and he employs a run-based no-huddle offense that operates mostly out of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers). Most of Hunt’s snaps are taken from the shotgun, and the read-option is the team’s base running play. Senior running back Adonis Ameen-Moore is a great complement to Hunt in the Orange’s backfield, and he had a very impressive game against Central Michigan as well. He struggled against Villanova, gaining just 19 yards on the ground. But he turned things around against the Chippewas, rushing 9 times for 106 yards. The Maryland defense will have their hands full as they attempt to stop the rushing threats of both Terrel Hunt and Adonis Ameen-Moore.

Chuck Bullough is the team’s defensive coordinator, and runs a 4-3 defense that has been impressive so far this season. He ran both a 4-3 and a 3-4 scheme in 2013, but has moved to a full-time 4-3 look in 2014. The team ranks 15th in the country in points allowed per game, helped mightily by their stinginess in the team’s 40-3 win over Central Michigan last week. The front seven is the strength of this defense, and is a very experienced unit. However, the Orange’s secondary has struggled at times against talented wide receiving corps, so Maryland will need to get their passing game on track in order to take advantage of this weakness.

Maryland Preview

Last week, the Terps suffered a heart-breaking loss to West Virginia on a last-minute field goal at the hands (or feet) of Josh Lambert. The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 28-6 lead, and looked to be on their way to an easy victory. However, the Terps came all the way back to tie the game at 37 before eventually falling by a score of 40-37. Clint Trickett led West Virginia to another very impressive day offensively, as he continues to climb the ranks of top-tier quarterbacks this season. His completion percentage gets better with each game that he plays, and his intimate knowledge of Dana Holgerson’s offense was apparent last week.

While fans may focus on last week, Randy Edsall and his team must move on to their next task. The team will depart for Syracuse, NY tomorrow afternoon, and will kickoff against the Orange at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday. While the Terps came back very impressively against the Mountaineers, there are still some big questions that need to be answered during the team’s game against the Orange:

• What’s up with the passing game? – No matter how you spin it, the Maryland passing game has been much less potent than most people expected given the talent at the wide receiver position. While many fans want to point to C.J. Brown as the sole reason for the passing game’s struggles, I believe that it is a more complex issue than the quarterback himself. While Brown has certainly missed a number of throws that he should have made, his offensive line has struggled mightily against edge rushers so far this season. He has also dealt with some inconsistent hands by his receivers. If Brown can get a bit more time in the pocket without having to make every throw on the run, he should look a bit more like the quarterback that we saw last season.
• Should there be changes made on the offensive line? – As I mentioned above, there have been some glaring issues with the Maryland offensive line so far this season. Edge rushers have plagued offensive tackles Michael Dunn and Ryan Doyle, and they failed to open any running lanes for the Maryland running backs last week. While 5-star freshman Damian Prince may not be fully ready to take over at one of the offensive tackle spots, Derwin Gray has the knowledge of the offense to be able to start for this team. He is currently listed as the backup right tackle, and don’t be surprised at all to see Randy Edsall and Greg Studrawa make a change if this unit continues to struggle this week against the Orange.
• Will we see more Jeremiah Johnson? – Alvin Hill has struggled in the Maryland secondary over the past few weeks, and was beat deep on a number of throws against West Virginia. While he was very impressive all throughout camp, that success has not fully translated onto the field. Jeremiah Johnson sees the field only in nickel and dime situations, which a 3-4 defense doesn’t use as often as a 4-3 defense would. If Hill continues to struggle, Johnson will be looked to in the Maryland secondary.

Opponent Interview

This week, I was able to speak with Nate Mink about the Syracuse Orange. Nate writes about Syracuse football for The Post-Standard, and I’d like to thank him for his insightful responses.

BSL: Last season, Syracuse beat Maryland in their first and only ACC meeting by a score of 20-3. Jerome Smith ran for 125 yards and two scores, while Terrel Hunt amassed over 200 yards of total offense. The Orange defense also forced two interceptions of C.J. Brown. How much has this Syracuse squad changed since Maryland fans saw them last, and what are your overall expectations for them this season?

Mink: In terms of core contributors, this team is actually quite similar to the outfit that walked into Byrd Stadium and left with a 20-3 victory. The number of experienced returning players is a big reason why expectations have grown in 2014.

That Maryland game was one of Hunt’s better performances in the ACC last season, and he, like most quarterbacks, is perhaps the most important player for Syracuse. He’s better at anticipating throwing windows and is still a powerful runner that can keep a defense honest.

That said, there are three major pieces missing from last year: Smith, middle linebacker Marquis Spruill, and defensive tackle Jay Bromley. Syracuse is still very deep at running back and is coming off a 289-yard output at Central Michigan, and Hodge is a sophomore who has some upside. He’s flanked by two seniors on the outside in Cam Lynch and Dyshawn Davis who can quickly get into the backfield.

The biggest loss is Bromley, a third-round pick of the New York Giants who recorded 10 sacks and 14.5 TFLs. Syracuse is hoping the strength of its D-Line is in numbers. Seniors Micah Robinson, Rob Welsh and Eric Crume have stepped up in big moments early on, and Ron Thompson is a young talent that the staff believes is sitting on a big year. You’ll see him play inside and outside.

I have this team pegged for a 7-5 regular season, a slight improvement from last year. This week’s game is the second in a stretch of nine straight without a bye week, and it only gets more challenging, with Notre Dame, Louisville and Florida State looming. Syracuse is going to need its best players to stay healthy if it wants to reach its goal of eight wins.

BSL: QB Terrel Hunt was ejected from Syracuse’s season-opener against Villanova after he threw a punch at a Wildcat player. He has since alluded to possible foul play leading up to his punch, and Donovan McNabb has spoken in support of Hunt. Is there a sense of concern about Hunt due to this, or is this simply a case of a young man getting a bit too heated?

Mink: Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I think it’s more toward the latter. A Central Michigan defender baited him into punching him late in last week’s 40-3 victory, and Hunt simply pointed at the scoreboard. Certainly, there was a heightened sense of awareness given that the incident lingered for two weeks leading up to that game. But you have to remind yourself that these are 18-22-year-olds who are by nature some of the most competitive people around.

BSL: The Syracuse offense has been of the no-huddle variety since the 2012 season, and seems to be working better with each season. With the dual-threat abilities of Terrel Hunt, the team has added in some read-option elements. What can Maryland fans expect to see out of George MacDonald’s offense this week?

Mink: No doubt the players are a lot more comfortable with the system in Year 2. It’s now a matter of consistently out-executing an opponent.

Syracuse will run almost exclusively out of the gun, and the read-option is a major component of the offense. It forces defenses to key at least two running threats, and help open up some room on the perimeter and downfield.

Conversely, Syracuse will look to get the ball out quick and to the perimeter to open up space in the middle for more runs. The bubble screen has been maddening for some Syracuse fans who wish to see more slants and downfield attempts, but there is a sound theory to why Syracuse does the things it does on offense.

At its heart, this is a spread offense that is not dependent on any one receiver. The ball will be distributed to a bunch of players, but Hunt is the cog in the whole thing. His decision-making has to be on point, or Syracuse will struggle.

BSL: After spending last season in both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive schemes, the Orange are back to a 4-3 with defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough. Who are the biggest players to watch for on the defensive side of the ball for Syracuse, and how do you expect them to contend with the talented wide receivers that Maryland has?

Mink: Syracuse has experience at every level of the defense, but and the two early standouts so far have been nose tackle Eric Crume and weak-side linebacker Cam Lynch, who leads the ACC with 11.5 tackles per game and has 3.5 sacks.

The secondary is certainly the unit on notice this week with Stefon Diggs and Deon Long lining up for the Terps. Remember, neither played in last week’s game in College Park. Leading the SU secondary is safety Durell Eskridge, who has NFL size and was one of the best safeties in the ACC last year.

Syracuse struggled at times last year against dynamic WR units, be it Penn State, Clemson or Florida State. Maryland is the first major test of 2014, and I think it’s going to be important to stop the run and limit C.J. Brown’s scrambling ability.

BSL: Last but not least, what are your keys to the game for Syracuse to beat Maryland for the second time in two years?

Mink: I think Syracuse is going to have to score some points this week, and that boils down to Hunt making the correct reads and moving the chains. If he can loosen up the defense, I think Syracuse has the advantage at scrimmage to be able to run the ball.

Defensively, Diggs and Long are going to be difficult to shut down, but if the front seven can stop the run and put C.J. Brown in some third-and-longs, then Syracuse should be able to bring some pressure and force some hurried throws.

Syracuse gave up a 67-yard punt return touchdown in Week 1 against Villanova, and we all know how dangerous William Likely and Diggs are in the return game. Don’t sleep on how important special teams play will be this week, either.

Zack’s Keys to the Game

• Don’t beat yourself – The Terps only turned the ball over once in their game against West Virginia, which was a good bounce-back performance after turning the ball over 6 times against South Florida. Ball security will be even more important on the road this week.
• Protect C.J. Brown – C.J. Brown can be a good passing quarterback if he is given a reasonable amount of time in the pocket. So far this season, he seems to be on the run from the moment he takes the snap. If the Maryland offensive line can hold off Syracuse’s rushers just a bit longer, I believe that C.J. Brown will have a lot more success in the passing game.
• Run the backs – The Maryland offensive line also has to be able to open up some holes in the running game for Brandon Ross, Albert Reid, and Wes Brown. C.J. Brown cannot be relied upon to carry the ball 18 times every week. The Terps like to do a lot of their designed running back runs out of the pistol formation, where they run inside and outside zone plays, power runs, and counters. The offensive line has to be able to get some semblance of a running game going in order to make play-action passes a viable threat.
• Force Hunt to pass – Whenever you can take a dual-threat quarterback’s running ability away from him, he tends to get a bit jumpy. While Syracuse certainly has a very talented stable of running backs, forcing Hunt to do his damage with his arm will be very important. If they can get the Orange behind the sticks on third down, they’ll be able to do what they do best: bring pressure.