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For the first time under Fran Brown, Syracuse was embarrassed on the gridiron. Following its second bye week, SU marched into Acrisure Stadium and was dominated by then-No. 19 Pitt.

Quarterback Kyle McCord posted a career-worst five interceptions — including three pick-sixes. The Orange had more than double the Panthers’ time of possession and notched one of its best defensive performances to date, but McCord’s mistakes put the game out of reach early, leading to a 41-13 loss.

Following three straight road games, Syracuse returns home to take on Virginia Tech. The Hokies enter on a three-game winning streak, taking down their last three Atlantic Coast Conference foes by a combined 60 points.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (5-2, 2-2 ACC) will fare against Virginia Tech (5-3, 3-1 ACC) on Saturday:

Aiden Stepansky (4-3)
Orange revival
Syracuse 27, Virginia Tech 24

Seven games in, it’s not ridiculous to say we are the worst trio of beat-writer predictors in The Daily Orange’s rich history. So, why not guarantee at least one of us is right this week and go against my fellow scribes?

Make no mistake, Syracuse has its hands full with the Hokies. And last week’s performance was nothing short of an embarrassment. But I see a way the Orange exit this game with a revival performance and clinch their third-consecutive bowl game.

While McCord’s hardships took the spotlight against Pitt, SU’s defense impressed me. Marlowe Wax returned from injury, though he clearly wasn’t at 100%, but I see him continuing to progress and returning to All-ACC form against the Hokies’ potent rushing attack. Additionally, VT was held to just 21 points against Georgia Tech last week, and Bhayshul Tuten had a walking boot postgame, possibly limiting him this Saturday.

It’s fairly simple for McCord and Co. If he doesn’t turn the ball over, SU will be in this game until the end. VT’s defensive line is no joke and will be McCord’s face throughout the afternoon, but I see an improvement from a week ago. Yasin Willis is likely a no-go for Syracuse and it will have to rely more on LeQuint Allen Jr. than normal.

The Orange were just 8-23 in November over the last eight seasons, but I see Brown flipping the script in his first opportunity. It won’t be easy, but SU can defeat the Hokies to get back on track before the final road trip of the regular season.

Cooper Andrews (4-3)
(More) November blues?
Syracuse 24, Virginia Tech 30

Aiden is right. We’re not very good at this. I wrote last week that Syracuse would beat a ranked Pitt on the road by two touchdowns. I doubled down by predicting McCord to utterly dominate the Panthers’ secondary. I’ve had some rough takes this year, but that takes the cake.

Not only did that loss damage my credibility, it severely damaged my confidence in Syracuse. I used to see the Orange as a talent-rich group, with arguably their best passing attack in program history and a formidable defense. Now, I see a one-dimensional offense and a defense that hasn’t shown an ability to close games.

I see those trends continuing against Virginia Tech. The Orange – particularly McCord – struggle against potent pass rushes. The Hokies boast the best pass rush in the ACC and the 11th-best in the country, per Pro Football Focus’ grading system. VT has totaled 26 sacks in eight games, led by star edge rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland, whose whopping 11 sacks rank second in the nation.

Syracuse’s offense will take a while to get going versus a ferocious Hokies’ front. And it won’t adjust through the run game, either. Offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon hasn’t made the running game a consistent part of his scheme. That won’t change. On the flipside, VT’s rushing offense — which ranks 30th in the NCAA with 195.5 yards per game — led by Tuten and quarterback Kyron Drones will provide a tall task for SU’s defense.

Saturday looks like it’ll be another tough defeat for Syracuse. But, will it be the start of another rough November?

Justin Girshon (3-4)
Off the bandwagon
Syracuse 24, Virginia Tech 28

As Cooper and Aiden noted above, we’re not very good at these predictions — and I’m the worst. When I’m out on Syracuse, like I was in Week 2 against Georgia Tech, it draws me right back in. But, once I got drawn back in, the Orange embarrassed themselves versus Stanford, and their win over Holy Cross the ensuing week wasn’t too convincing.

This led me to think UNLV would remain undefeated. I was wrong. Since SU’s win at Allegiant Stadium, I’ve been back on the bandwagon, predicting it to win each of its last two games. Now, coming off its loss to Pitt, I’m back off.

While I clearly can’t get the right read on this SU team, I can confidently say Virginia Tech is a very good defensive team. And unfortunately for the Orange, the Hokies’ best player is defensive end Powell-Ryland. As Cooper noted, Syracuse’s offense is extremely one-dimensional and there’s no reason to believe its air-raid won’t stop.

Because of how much SU will drop back, Powell-Ryland will have numerous opportunities to get home, and I can see him making a game-altering play down the stretch. With Pitt laying the blueprint for how teams can expose Syracuse, I’d expect the Hokies to have similar success and squeak out a road victory in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Published on October 30, 2024 at 10:24 pm