Syracuse really doesn’t have one. Curtis Brinkley has a broken leg, and the depth at the running game for the Orange isn’t really there. Delone Carter, is still out for the season with a dislocated hip. Syracuse missed out on a ton of actual running back talent the last few years starting elsewhere — from native son Mike Hart (Michigan) to Ray Rice (decommitted his verbal after Pasqualoni was fired) and even Jehu Caulcrick (Mich. State). That leaves Doug Hogue to carry the load — so to speak.
So, the ‘Cuse will look to do something with the passing game.
“The last three games they have had 13 plays of 20 yards or more and that is outstanding,” Wannstedt said. “So we’re not going to sit there in one coverage and let them know where we are at and what we are doing. We have a variety of things we can mix up and at times we can defend and at times we will be physical. We have to have a nice mix of things and that’s the key to make sure the receivers and quarterbacks don’t get into a rhythm.”
Wannstedt said the Orange have made plenty of big plays and most of them have been by their two primary wide receivers, Mike Williams and Taj Smith.
The duo have combined for 56 receptions, 871 yards and 9 touchdowns and both average more than 15 yards per catch. Williams leads the team with 29 receptions, 6 touchdowns and 16.3 per catch; Smith leads the team in yards per reception (18.4) as well as receiving yards per game (62.2).
It seems that in the absence of a running game and an O-line Syracuse Coach Greg Robinson has discovered the concept of the forward pass. As opposed to the screens and short passes that he would prefer.
The other area where the Orange hope to get offense is on special teams — specifically Max Suter on returns.
Suter already owns the school mark for kick return yards in a season (801), a somewhat dubious distinction as the Orange allow 34.4 points a game. Still, it’s no small feat at Syracuse, which has produced All-American kick returners in Qadry Ismail, Marvin Harrison and Kevin Johnson.
“Max is exciting,” Syracuse coach Greg Robinson said. “Every time he goes back there to catch the ball and go, I know, when he’s at home, the crowd just can’t wait to see what’s going to happen because you get the feeling that he could be out of the gate.”
Stopping Suter and fellow freshman Michael Holmes will be a point of emphasis for Pitt (3-5, 1-2) when it plays host to Syracuse (2-6, 1-2) at 12 p.m. Saturday at Heinz Field. The Orange lead the Big East in return yards, as Suter ranks 25th nationally at 27.6 yards per and Holmes 39th at 25.6.
“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Pitt special teams coordinator Charlie Partridge said. “Suter deserves his credit. He catches the ball and gets north right now. He runs hard. He’s an impressive return man.”
The theme going into this game are the similarity of the coaches and their struggles at the respective schools. Syracuse has had the deeper fall. And Robinson hasn’t had the recruiting success nor the school ties that take some of the edge off of Wannstedt.
Tranghese points to Rutgers as a classic example. Four years into the Greg Schiano era the team was 12-34, the RU fans were screaming for a change and athletic director Bob Mulcahy was in a quandary about whether to extend his coach’s contract. He eventually did, and RU is 24-10 over the last three seasons.
“If you’re confident you have the right guy, it takes courage to have patience,” Tranghese said.
The problem at Syracuse and Pittsburgh is that neither had Rutgers’ woeful past when their new coaches arrived. On the contrary, each came in with the mission of turning an established team into a national contender and annual bowl participant. Many of the fans at those schools believe Rich Rodriguez, who went 3-8 his first season at West Virginia but 9-4 the second and has been contending for conference titles and top-25 rankings ever since, is a more appropriate example for their teams than Schiano.
They were promised new heights and instead have experienced precipitous falls under their present coaches.
I’m so happy at least someone pointed out the BS of the Schiano comparisons.
Here are the Syracuse key’s to the game according to this article.
Stop the run. A few weeks ago this would have been a tall order, and it probably still is, as the Orange is ranked No. 110 in the nation in rush defense, allowing 213.6 yards per game. Yet, it found a way to contain Buffalo’s talented James Starks in its last game and held the Bulls to 73 yards rushing overall. In McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling it will face a daunting combination of speed and power. McCoy (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) has already rushed for 925 yards and 10 touchdowns, although his fumble at the 1-yard line cost the team a shot last week at Louisville. Stephens-Howling, now a backup, rushed for 221 yards against SU last season, with a 70-yard burst breaking open a close game. SU’s defense must, repeat must, duplicate its effort vs. Buffalo and contain the duo, making Pitt’s offense one-dimensional. If Pitt gets the ground game going, it will be a long afternoon for the Orange.
Pressure the QB. SU’s success vs. the run against UB came at the expense of failure to pressure the QB. If it allows Bostick, a rookie prone to rookie mistakes, to sit in the pocket and gain confidence, he is good enough to make it pay. SU, with an embarrassing five sacks this season, must apply pressure to the QB, forcing him into mistakes. Stop the run and get after the QB. Pitt is minus-7 in turnover margin, and SU has a chance to capitalize here. It won’t if it continues to play the kind of passive defense that has characterized most of its performances this season.
Protect the punter. It has been noted here before but is worth repeating: SU freshman punter Rob Long has a bit of a slow release. He is susceptible to having one blocked. Rutgers did it and turned around an early 14-point deficit. SU must make sure that Pitt, which has blocked a punt and four kicks overall, does not get to Long on Saturday. Any big play allowed on special teams will put the Orange in a hole, and its offense is simply not potent enough to climb out.
Protect the QB. The best way to do that is to run the ball effectively. Now that Curtis Brinkley is out for the season that will fall on the shoulders of true freshman Doug Hogue. Even with Brinkley in the lineup SU foes failed to respect the run, and why should they? SU ranks No. 113 in the nation in rushing offense, averaging a paltry 73.5 yards per game. Yet, it is coming off its best rushing performance of the season, 179 yards vs. Buffalo, and must build on that. It must continue to use Andrew Robinson on draws and options as a complement to Hogue. If Pitt stops the run, Robinson will be a sitting duck … again.
Strike early. Two fragile psyches will take the field Saturday. At least Pitt has shown some fight in rallying to defeat Cincinnati after falling behind and nearly sending last week’s game at Louisville into overtime. SU has shown no such resiliency this season when falling behind. Its best chance is to strike early, build momentum and then played relaxed. It must gain control early, putting the pressure on Pitt’s young players at the skill positions to bounce back.
There is no reason for Pitt not to win this game other than complete ineptitude on defense. The Orange offense — excepting that freaky outburst at Louisville has done nothing. They have a limited running game, an O-line that is probably worse than Pitt’s, and a QB prone to being rattled once hit.
