Syracuse heads to Virginia on Saturday carrying real momentum from its 42-41 overtime escape against UConn, but the bigger prize is still in front of it: the Orange are chasing their first ACC win since beating Clemson more than a year ago.
The matchup puts a 2-2 Syracuse team against a 3-2 Virginia squad coming off a rough night in a 38-7 loss to Florida State. For Syracuse, the path to a road win starts with pressure.
Virginia senior quarterback Beau Pribula was sacked 10 times against the Seminoles, and Syracuse’s pass rush has already shown it can change a game. The Orange got to UConn for three sacks and have 11 on the season overall, with senior linebacker Keyshawn Johnson posting three and a half and senior defensive lineman Tunmis Adeleye adding three.
If Syracuse can keep Pribula uncomfortable, that gives the Orange a chance to control the rest of the game.
Offensively, Amari Odom’s first start of the season showed exactly why Syracuse trusts him. He managed the offense cleanly, used his mobility to create problems in the red zone, and was a major reason the Orange survived last week.
Odom scored a rushing touchdown and delivered the walkoff two-point conversion against the Huskies. He also pushed the ball downfield, connecting on six throws of 20 yards or more, with three going for touchdowns.
That kind of dual-threat production makes Syracuse difficult to defend, and it becomes even more important if the Orange can pair it with a productive run game. Virginia has been vulnerable there, allowing 149 rushing yards per game and giving up 281 yards on 6.1 yards per carry and five touchdowns in its loss to Florida State. Syracuse showed what that can look like when it’s working, with sophomore running back Tylik Hill going for 28 carries and 140 yards against UConn, averaging five yards per attempt.
The Orange also have a receiver playing at a high level in Umari Hatcher. He put together a career day against UConn with 12 catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns, and he’s already among the ACC’s top five in multiple categories, including yards and touchdowns. Virginia brings the ACC’s best pass defense into the game, but Hatcher has already been Syracuse’s most dangerous offensive weapon and is the best receiver the Cavaliers have faced so far this season.
There’s also the kicking game, where Syracuse cannot afford to give points away. Sophomore kicker Trip Woody is 3-for-6 on field goals and 7-for-8 on extra points, with his misses not going beyond 49 yards. He missed two field goals in the loss to Cal, and Syracuse needs to help him build confidence while making sure scoring chances turn into actual points.
Syracuse has had big kickers before, including Gary Anderson, who originally led the NFL in points scored, and current Cleveland Browns kicker Andre Szmyt, who has not missed a kick this year and has helped the Browns to an early 3-1 start. But this Orange team needs more from Woody now.
After the overtime win over UConn, Syracuse has a chance to stack another victory, climb above .500 and finally get that first conference win of the season. To do it, the Orange will need Odom to keep operating efficiently, the run game to hold up, the defense to keep applying heat, and the offense to cash in every scoring chance it gets.
In Other News...
Gavin Doty Just Framed Syracuses Mindset For A Huge Season
At the ACC Tipoff event in Charlotte, Syracuse coach Gerry McNamara joined Gavin Doty and Aiden Tobiason on the conference stage, giving the Orange a chance to talk about where the program is headed before the season gets rolling. The visit also offered a look at the new faces around the team and the tone McNamara is trying to set as Syracuse tries to build momentum in a league that rarely offers much room for error.
Doty, in an interview featured on the Juice on the Cuse Podcast, sounded eager about what this year can become, pointing to his own development while keeping the focus on the bigger picture for the group. The message was clear enough: Syracuse wants to be in the mix in the ACC and has its sights on NCAA Tournament success, but the next step will depend on how quickly that confidence turns into results once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses New Identity Is Clear But One Big Question Remains
Syracuse basketball opened its season with Media Day at the Carmelo Anthony Center, and the message from Gerry McNamara and his players was pretty clear: this group wants its identity to start on the defensive end. The Orange have leaned into length at most positions, and the roster construction reflects that with a blend of returning players, transfers and freshmen all expected to have a role as the season gets underway.
Luke Wilson is part of that new mix, and so are the young centers Abdramane Siby and Iker Martinez, both of whom add size to a team that appears built to be harder to score on and tougher to handle on the glass. Syracuse still has a preseason opener against UConn ahead, and while the defensive blueprint seems set, the bigger question is how quickly all those pieces can come together once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Let Another Winnable ACC Game Slip Away
Syracuse kept searching for answers at quarterback in its fifth game of the season, rolling through three starters before a fourth ended up taking snaps because of injury, and the instability showed up in a 28-25 loss to Virginia. It was the kind of ACC game the Orange needed to find a way to finish, especially with the offense unable to sustain much momentum and the special teams still offering little help.
Instead, Syracuse let another winnable conference game slip away and stayed winless in ACC play, while the losing streak against Power-Four programs grew to 11 games. The second-half fade was especially costly, with the offense bogging down as the kicking game and special teams continued to create problems the Orange could not afford in a tight game. [Read more 🡒]