Syracuse heads into Saturday’s road matchup at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field with a simple assignment: clean up the mess from a shaky 1-2 start and show the bye week actually mattered.
The Orange and the 2-2 UConn Huskies are both coming off losses, but Syracuse has had extra time to sort through the problems that have piled up through three games. That includes the kind of self-inflicted damage that can sink a team before it ever settles in.
Syracuse has already been flagged 36 times for 329 yards and has thrown five interceptions. Those mistakes have repeatedly put the Orange behind the chains and wiped out chances to build momentum or gain field position.
UConn has its own issues in that department. The Huskies have been penalized 33 times for 340 yards and have fumbled five times through four games.
So while this matchup gives Syracuse a chance to reset, it also sets up a game where the team that protects the football and stays out of its own way may have the edge. For Syracuse, that starts with the basics: fewer flags, fewer giveaways, and a cleaner operation on the road.
The offensive side of the ball is where the Orange need the biggest lift. Quarterback Steve Angeli has been sacked eight times and has thrown five interceptions, and Syracuse has not found a steady rhythm through three games.
The offense has looked most dangerous when it has pushed the pace and kept defenses from settling in. Playing faster could help Angeli get comfortable sooner, get the ball out quicker, and avoid the kind of obvious passing downs that have caused trouble.
Tempo won’t solve everything, but Syracuse needs something to spark the offense early. An opening-drive rhythm would go a long way toward settling things down and giving the Orange a better chance to play the way they want.
Fran Brown and his staff also had the bye week to dig into what went wrong during the 1-2 start. Penalties, offensive inconsistency and situational mistakes have all been part of the story so far, and Saturday will offer the first real look at what changes were made. Brown has made clear what he expects from this program, and handling adversity is now front and center.
There has been one encouraging area for Syracuse, though, and it comes on defense. The secondary has been a bright spot, with the Orange ranking second in the ACC in passing defense at 134.7 yards allowed per game. Chris Peal and Demetres Samuel Jr. have helped hold down explosive plays and keep Syracuse in games.
That unit was on display against Pitt, when Syracuse limited sophomore quarterback Mason Heintschel to 10-of-23 passing for 123 yards and one interception. Heintschel is among the ACC leaders in passing yards and touchdowns, which only adds weight to what Syracuse did on the back end. If that level of play shows up again against UConn, the Huskies may be forced to look elsewhere to move the ball.
Syracuse also can’t expect Angeli and the passing game to carry everything. The Orange showed what balance can look like in the season opener against New Hampshire, when they ran for 239 yards and four touchdowns.
Since then, the ground game has been harder to trust. Getting that part going again would ease pressure on Angeli, help the offense stay on schedule and keep Syracuse from living in passing situations that have not gone well.
It would also help an offensive line that has already allowed eight sacks. If Syracuse can establish the run early, it could be one of the clearest signs that the offense is finally settling in after the bye.
A win over UConn would not erase what has happened so far, but it would at least give Syracuse a much-needed push before ACC play resumes. For now, Saturday is about whether the Orange used their extra week to fix the problems that have defined their first three games.
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