After two straight wins at home, the NC State football team will look to continue its winning ways as it travels up north to take on the Syracuse Orange in what will be the Pack’s last official road game of the 2020 season.
The Wolfpack (6-3, 5-3 ACC) is coming off a 38-22 win over Florida State and, most recently, perhaps the biggest win of the season, a 15-14 win over previously undefeated and then-No. 21 Liberty.
Meanwhile, Syracuse (1-8, 1-7 ACC) comes into the game dead last in the ACC standings and has lost six games in a row, the most recent of which being a 30-0 shutout at the hands of fellow ACC bottom-dweller Louisville. The lone win of the season for the Orange came back in September against Georgia Tech. While it has only been two years since Syracuse had a 10-win season under head coach Dino Babers, that seems like forever ago as the Orange went 5-7 in 2019 and have struggled mightily this season.
Offensively, the Orange has been among the worst in the conference in nearly every major statistical category, ranking dead last in points per game, total offense, passing yards per game and rushing yards per game. The defense hasn’t been that much better than the offense, ranking 10th out of 15 teams in points allowed per game, 13th in total defense and last in rush defense. Perhaps the one decent area of the Syracuse squad is the pass defense, ranking eighth in the conference in passing yards allowed per game.
Much of the struggles that Syracuse has had this season can be attributed to a plethora of injuries suffered by many key players. Quarterback Tommy DeVito, who started most of last season and the beginning of this season, suffered a season-ending injury in a 38-24 loss to Duke, and since then, the Orange has struggled to maintain a consistent passing attack.
Many others have been ruled out either indefinitely or for the season as well, including two of the leading returning rushers from last season, four offensive linemen, two defensive linemen and two defensive backs. In a season that has been defined by a global pandemic, Syracuse has also had to deal with the injury bug.
The biggest weapons offensively for the Orange are running back Sean Tucker and wide receiver Taj Harris. Tucker leads the team in rushing yards with 507 on the season, while Harris leads the team in receiving yards with 518. The problem for those guys has been the fact that they have had many others injured around them, notably at quarterback.
On defense, the player to watch out for is linebacker Mikel Jones, who leads the team in tackles with 60. Despite being a linebacker, Jones also leads the team with three interceptions, which is tied for the most by any player in the ACC this season.
While the Orange has struggled to win games, it has made a few games against some of the better ACC teams competitive. In the season opener against then-No. 18 North Carolina, Syracuse trailed by just four points after three quarters before the Heels blew the game open in the fourth quarter to win 31-6. Despite trailing then-No. 1 Clemson by as much as 17 in the first half, the Orange came back to cut the lead to six at one point in the second half before the Tigers pulled away to win 47-21. The Orange also played then-No. 25 Pitt close, having the lead at one point and trailing by just four in the second half before the Panthers pulled away for a 21-10 win, and it barely fell to Boston College 16-13.
If the Pack comes out and takes Syracuse seriously, this should be a good opportunity for the offense to work out its kinks after struggling for most of the game against Liberty. The defense should also be able to contain the injury-plagued Syracuse offense after posting what was perhaps its best performance of the season against the usually high-powered Liberty offense.
Unless the Pack is hungover from the Liberty win and doesn’t come ready to play, this should be a relatively easy win. The game is scheduled to kickoff at noon on Saturday, Nov. 28, and will be broadcasted on ACC Network.
Prediction: NC State 27, Syracuse 10
