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The Fran Brown era has started strong with an unprecedented string of top recruits committing to Syracuse over the past two weeks. Yet, this year’s squad still has business to attend to against USF in the Boca Raton Bowl Thursday.

Syracuse will be without starting quarterback Garrett Shrader, and Braden Davis is listed at the top of the depth chart. As a result, the Orange will likely stick with the wildcat offense they ran the last three weeks of the season, featuring Dan Villari and LeQuint Allen Jr. under center.

Here’s how our beat writers predict Syracuse (6-6, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) will fair against South Florida (6-6, 4-4 American Athletic Conference) in the Boca Raton Bowl:

Anthony Alandt (10-2)
Bull-ied in Boca
South Florida 25, Syracuse 18

It took a Herculean effort from Shrader and the emergence of Villari to get Syracuse to the 6-6 record it needed to earn a bowl game bid. After what turned into a shootout that the Orange ultimately won thanks to a defensive stand, the realities of an offseason with a new head coach began. Players, most notably Leon Lowery, Isaiah Jones and Jeremiah Wilson, hit the transfer portal, thinning out what was already a team lacking depth.

While Brown and other coaches will be there, the impressive recruits and transfer gets — namely former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord — aren’t trotting out onto the field. This is still the same team that lost games to Georgia Tech and Boston College. With the news that Shrader won’t be available for the Boca Raton Bowl, it’s hard to see a path for Syracuse to win this one.

South Florida is a team looking to prove something after improving from 1-11 to 6-6. Led by sophomore quarterback Byrum Brown and Sean Atkins, who nearly finished with a 1,000-yard receiving season, USF boasts a strong offense. Its defense allowed 34.9 points per game, but with Davis in his first collegiate start under center for Syracuse, the Bulls should tamper down SU’s offense enough to pull out a win.

Wyatt Miller (10-2)
For the Ohana
Syracuse 27, South Florida 20

When former head coach Dino Babers was fired, an outpour of support and appreciation followed. The players bought into his “Ohana” and have the chance to win SU’s first bowl game since 2018 in honor of their leader. I think they’ll pull through for Babers.

This group was close-knit but never had the health or talent to reach their full potential. Syracuse will be well-placed to win this game with tons of time to prepare for an opponent out of an inferior conference. USF allows 154.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks eighth out of 14 in the AAC. Syracuse will exploit that weakness to succeed with an offense that worked well over the final three games of the regular season.

The Bulls only managed 21 sacks in 12 games this season, and their run defense is 65th out of 133 in the FBS, according to Pro Football Focus. Even with a battered offense, Syracuse’s front is used to more pressure than USF can provide. It’s hard to imagine SU’s run blocking faltering against USF when it cruised past Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Ultimately, the Orange have the personnel to win with their current run-first game plan, and I think they’ll pull out a close win.

Henry O’Brien (7-5)
All about the future
South Florida 31, Syracuse 24

No matter how this bowl game shakes out, the excitement held by Syracuse fans will not be tempered. The Orange currently rank sixth in On3’s team transfer portal rankings in all of college football, a feat never even dreamt of during the Babers era. Brown has been the talk of the town ever since he’s gotten here. It’s been exciting to watch, but the Orange still have a game to play.

The fact that SU made a bowl game with its injury struggles is commendable. But without Shrader, who made key (albeit few) throws in the shootout victory over Wake Forest, the Orange will have to rely on Villari and Allen Jr. for virtually the entire contest.

Though they have a below-average defense for AAC standards, the Bulls will catch up to this game plan. And on the other side of the ball, the defense will be worn down after the offense struggles to complete long drives. As defenders like Marlowe Wax and Isaiah Johnson will perform as advertised, it won’t be enough to stop the prolific Byrum Brown. But a win for South Florida should not, and will not, temper expectations for Syracuse.

Published on December 20, 2023 at 8:49 pm