A quick take on Syracuse’s 45-35 loss to Wake Forest:
WHAT HAPPENED: After a trick play where LeQuint Allen threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Devaughn Cooper put the Orange up 21-10, SU had an opportunity to put more points on the board before halftime up 21-17 after they had driven to the Wake Forest 11. But Garrett Shrader took two inexplicable sacks, and Andre Szmyt missed a 42-yard field goal to end a disappointing drive. Wake Forest then marched right down the field and scored, taking a 24-21 lead into halftime. It was all Demon Deacons in the second half, and Wake Forest put the game out of reach after Shrader threw a pick-6 that put SU in a 45-21 hole.
ANALYSIS: Syracuse continues its downward slide in the second half of the season. After racing out to a 6-0 start, the Orange has come crashing back to earth, having now lost five straight games. Certainly, injuries play a role in this. Heading into the game, Syracuse was missing 3/5ths of its offensive line, as left tackle Matthew Bergeron, left guard Kalan Ellis, and right guard Chris Bleich didn’t make the trip due to injuries. That led to a patchwork line of Enrique Cruz, Josh Ilaoa, and Jakob Bradford playing significant snaps, and predictably, Shrader ate several sacks at inopportune times. Adding to the wounded, Mikel Jones spent most of the game in-and-out of the injury tent, and Sean Tucker also was hurt.
HERO: Sam Hartman threw for 331 and four touchdowns, while A.T. Perry hauled in 10 receptions for 119 yards and three scores.
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ZERO: If you like defense, this was not your game. Syracuse ran up 479 total yards of offense, and was outdol.9ne by the 543 yards from the Demon Deacons. Penalties also hurt SU, with seven flags for 48 yards. Syracuse allowed 36 first downs while Wake Forest had possession for nearly 10 more minutes than SU.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse wraps up its regular season when it travels to Boston College on Nov. 26 for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
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