Saturday will be the stiffest test of the young season for Syracuse as it returns home to host Big 10 foe Purdue.
- Teams: Syracuse Orange (2-0, 1-0 ACC) v. Purdue Boilermakers (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 17
- Game Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: JMA Wireless Dome
- Network: ESPN2
Jim Stechschulte
Fearless Prediction: Syracuse 30, Purdue 20
The Juice Online Season Record: 2-0
Purdue heads east for their first road game of the season with a 1-1 record, bouncing back from a tight opening loss to Penn State with a 56-0 whitewashing of Indiana State. It was a get-right game against the FCS Sycamores, as Aidan O’Connell threw for four touchdowns and the Boilermakers also rolled up 232 yards on the ground.
Purdue appears well-equipped to handle the top Orange weapon, Sean Tucker. The Boilermakers held three different Penn State running backs to just over 3.4 yards per carry with a long run of just a dozen yards. Tucker has had a modest start to the year carrying the ball for SU, averaging 4.4 yards per carry with a long of 13 yards in his first two games.
» Related: Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader off to fast start
Of course, Penn State was able to make up for their stalled rushing attack by piling up 308 passing yards and four touchdowns in the game. Garrett Shrader, who has upped his game with his arm, could be in for another big day for Syracuse on the heels of his 292 passing yards and three scores at Connecticut last weekend.
O’Connell absolutely has a favorite Boilermaker target, as wide receiver Charlie Jones has 21 catches for 286 yards and four scores already this season, outdoing the next four productive receivers on the roster. Jones, a 6’0”, 188-pound wide receiver, does not create a physical matchup that should strike fear in the hearts of Orange corners Duce Chestnut and Garrett Williams. Should that duo make a rough day for Jones, it could be a long ride back to Purdue.
Tucker’s breakout game will have to wait another week, but things will still go well for the Orange. Shrader should keep things moving for the SU offense while their defensive mates will slow down Purdue enough to give the Orange a 3-0 start.
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