Pacific Time Zone Orange
The Syracuse Orange enjoyed a winning flight back across the country after the 33-25 victory over Cal. Here are three takeaways from the game:
Strong Start Syracuse
The Orange defense did the job to start the game. Two interceptions on Cal’s first two possessions allowed the Syracuse offense to get into a rhythm as they controlled the ball for nearly twelve minutes in the opening quarter. Cal’s defense was worn down and worn out and the Orange scored 21 second-quarter points to bury the Bears by the half.
Instead of allowing their opponent to dictate the game’s tempo, Syracuse imposed their will and forced Cal to adjust their style to play catch-up. You don’t have to stress as much about your run defense if you’re up two or three scores.
Tackling Drills
After being run over all afternoon by Boston College, the Orange secondary came back with a much strong performance. According to PFF, nearly every Syracuse defensive back with more than 15 snaps played had a tackling grade above 77 on the afternoon (only Davien Kerr was below). Justin Barron, Alijah Clark, Berry Buxton and Devin Grant were all above 80, which is considered an elite performance.
Cal ran for 166 yards, but 90 of those came on two carries, so Syracuse held them to 76 yards on the other 21 attempts and the secondary making stops was a big reason for the improvement from last week.
D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Kennedy’s Health Kick
Since being appointed as the Orange placekicker for the Virginia Tech game, Kennedy has hit 16 of his 17 kicks, including all six field goal attempts. The Cornell transfer hit two from beyond 40 yards on Saturday and while that might not seem like much, it’s a big boost for the Orange. Kennedy has made more field goals than Brady Denaburg and Jayden Oh had combined (5) in the first seven games.
Fran Brown was still aggressive in this game- going 4-4 on fourth-down attempts, but having a reliable kicker takes some pressure off of the offense. Instead of forcing plays that might not be there, the Orange can make the smart decision and trust their kicker to deliver. Syracuse has scored on their last 12 red zone possessions and Kennedy’s been an integral part of that success.
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What were your takeaways from Saturday?