Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 DEC. 5, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ANDREW MENTOCK A pulled muscle in the lower back of Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey all but eliminated any hope the Orange had of competing with the No. 3-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Yankee Stadium in 2018. That season, Dungey was the heart and soul of a Syracuse offense that av- eraged 40.2 points per game, good for 11th in the nation. But once he went lame in the first quarter against the Irish, the offense sputtered its way to a measly field goal and Notre Dame left the House That Ruth Built with a grand slam, 36-3 victory against a top-15 opponent. Coming off a 10-win season, there was optimism that after Dungey graduated, his replacement in Yankee Stadium — Tommy DeVito — would allow the Orange to remain a top-tier program in the Atlantic Coast Confer- ence. Instead, Syracuse has experienced a steady free fall ever since, finish- ing 5-7 in 2019 while averaging 28.2 points per game. The 2020 edition has been much, much worse, with the Orange averaging just 16.2 points per game (121st among Football Bowl Subdivision programs). It is at the closing stage of the team's worst sea- son since head coach Greg Robinson was at the helm from 2005-08 and av- eraged 2.5 wins per year. "That 10-win Syracuse season feels like a million years ago," tweeted Stewart Mandel, a national college football writer for The Athletic. "It was actually 2018." A major point of tension is the re- volving door at quarterback. DeVito left the team's Oct. 10 game against Duke with a leg injury and was lost for the season. Since then, senior signal-caller Rex Culpepper and true freshman JaCobian Morgan have taken turns as the starter. But don't be surprised if a third quarterback — Dillon Markiewicz, another true freshman — gets the nod against Notre Dame because the Syra- cuse coaching staff may want to see what the 6-5, 216-pound Texan can do before the season's end. But no matter who starts the rest of the way, the Orange is unlikely to have a 1,000- yard passer — a rarity in modern college football, which is filled with up-tempo offenses and quarterbacks poised beyond their years. For as distressing as the quarter- back position has been for Syracuse, the throbbing migraine has been its dejected offensive line. "It has the makings of probably the worst offensive line in the Power Five, or certainly one of the worst of- fensive lines in Power Five football," said Nate Mink, who covers the Or- ange for Syracuse.com. "That's obvi- ously impacted their ability to protect the quarterback and run the football. They just haven't been able to score enough points." Nine games into the season, Syra- cuse was averaging just 86.7 rushing yards per game and a nauseating 3.0 yards a carry. Yet, the offensive line may be even worse in pass protection, allowing 3.8 sacks per game, which has the Orange in the bottom 10 in comparison to its fellow FBS members. Even long-time standout/captain Airon Servais has allowed seven sacks, including a total of five against the high-quality defensive ends at Pittsburgh and Duke. One of the few bright spots may be true freshman running back Sean Tucker, who began fall camp buried on the depth chart but has emerged despite running behind a struggling offensive line. In seven games, he touched the ball 102 times for 568 yards (5.6 yards per play) and three touchdowns. "He's answered that call in a way that, all of a sudden, he's looked at as maybe the biggest piece offensively that is going to be returning next year," Mink said. Additionally, Taj Harris, a 6-2 junior wide receiver, is a big-play threat and the team leader in touchdowns from a skill position. Still, it's gotten to the point that the Syracuse offense can barely stay on the field, even against run-of-the-mill defenses. After a languishing 30-0 loss to Louisville Nov. 20, Mink noted that the Orange offense ran just 41 plays. Meanwhile, the defense was left to fend off an explosive Cardinals offen- sive attack for an exhausting 82 snaps (fewer snaps than the Notre Dame de- fense played in a face-paced, double- overtime win against Clemson). Against Louisville, Syracuse also failed to convert on a third down until its final offensive possession of the contest and walked off the field at the end of the fourth quarter having picked up just seven first downs. This is a prime example of how woes on offense have inhibited a bet- ter-than-advertised Syracuse defense GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE Facts & Figures SYRACUSE AT NOTRE DAME Game Info Date: Dec. 5, 2020 Site: Notre Dame Stadium Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame's IMG affiliates. Series Facts: Notre Dame leads 6-3 and won the last meeting 36-3 in a game played at Yan- kee Stadium in New York City on Nov. 17, 2018. Head coaches: Syracuse — Dino Babers (24-35, fifth season); Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (101-37, 11th season). Noting Syracuse: In 2018, Babers led Syra- cuse to its first 10-win season and Associated Press top-15 finish since 2001. In no other sea- son during that 18-year span were the Orange ranked … Babers had Rivals' No. 44 recruiting class in 2021 as of Nov. 24, and signed the No. 54 haul in the 2020 cycle … Syracuse went 5-7 and 2-6 in the ACC last year, the fourth sea- son in Baber's tenure with the Orange, missing out on a bowl for the first time since 2017 … The Orange joined the ACC for the 2013 season after spending 22 years in the Big East … Syra- cuse has one claimed national championship after finishing the season No. 1 in the AP poll in 1959. Two years later, the program had its first Heisman Trophy winner in halfback Ernie Davis. Rotten FRuit Following a 10-win season in 2018, the Orange program has gone sour True freshman running back Sean Tucker has emerged as a bright spot for Syracuse's offense. In seven games, he has touched the ball 102 times for 568 yards (5.6 yards per play) and three touchdowns. PHOTO BY DENNIS NETT/COURTESY SYRACUSE ATHLETICS