Syracuse hosts No. 13 Louisville on Friday evening in the Orange’s first ACC game of the 2016 season. Here’s a quick look at the game:
SNAPPING TOO SOON?: Louisville coach Bobby Petrino and the Cardinals have contacted the ACC in regard to Syracuse being allowed to snap the ball before the chain crew was set in its first game against Colgate. The Orange debuted its new up-tempo offense under first year head coach Dino Babers, and amassed 554 yards on 81 plays in a 33-7 win. “The chains have to be set,” Petrino said during the ACC’s weekly coach’s teleconference. “They’ve got to let the chains get down and be set before they can snap the ball again, and there were a couple times in that game where they didn’t get set.” Babers had a different interpretation of the rule. “I was always under the impression that the box was the most important thing, and if the box was set, then the chains could come later,” SU’s coach said, while adding that the issue had been blown out of proportion.
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SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: There were obviously plenty of offensive stars during Louisville’s 70-14 thrashing of Charlotte in Week 1, yet quarterback Lamar Jackson found himself shining the brightest. Jackson totaled 405 total cards of offense… in the first half. He finished with eight touchdowns overall, including six passing touchdowns, which both set and tied school records. He likely would’ve broken the passing record had he not sat out the entire second half. Speaking of school records, 16 different receivers caught passes against Charlotte. Among them was Jamari Staples, who caught four for 83 yards. The UAB transfer was one of the best receivers in the ACC during the second half of the 2015 season. In games against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, he hauled in a combined 19 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: The Cardinals blasted Syracuse last season 41-17 in a rare blowout conference win for Louisville. It was an ugly game for the Orange, with Eric Dungey playing what turned out to be the final game of his freshman campaign after he was helped off the field after a head injury. Louisville holds an 8-6 all-time record against SU.
GAME INFORMATION: Friday, Sept. 9, 201 at 8 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. TV: ESPN2.
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