Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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132 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL The first two head coaching gigs for Dino Babers resulted in quick turnarounds, but re- construction has taken a bit longer at Syracuse. Babers went 37-16 in his first four seasons as a head coach, leading both Eastern Illinois (FCS) and Bowling Green to double-digit win seasons by year two. In his first two seasons at Syracuse, Babers has gone just 8-16, which includes a 4-12 mark in the ACC. Expectations, however, are starting to rise. "The Orange are returning the most overall depth they've had in nearly a decade on of- fense," CuseConfidential.com publisher Ryan Murray said. "On defense, there is a lot of experience on the line and in the secondary." It seemed Syracuse was on the verge of a turnaround in each of the last two seasons. In 2016, an upset of No. 17 Virginia Tech was followed by a road win over Boston College to get the Orange to 4-4. But Syracuse lost the next four games. Last fall, the Orange knocked off No. 4 Clemson to improve to 4-3. But it turned out to be the final win of the season, with Syra- cuse dropping its last five games. "With the solid depth, the Orange will seek to become more consistent," Murray said. "Each of the last two seasons they have had big wins. … The problem with that is they showed how capable they are, but the incon- sistency led them to follow up those wins with awful losing streaks to end the season." A veteran offense line is vital to keeping senior quarterback Eric Dungey healthy. The Orange have gone just 2-9 in games he has not played in during his career, and each loss has been by at least 10 points. "I think this season's offensive line will be the best that Dino Babers has had at Syra- cuse," Murray said. "With experience at all positions, that should lead to a more cohesive unit that should be able to run and pass block as well as any line in the ACC." ✦ 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2018 Result Sept. 1 at Western Michigan — Sept. 8 Wagner — Sept. 15 Florida State L, 27-24 Sept. 22 Connecticut — Sept. 29 at Clemson W, 27-24 Oct. 6 at Pittsburgh W, 27-24 Oct. 20 North Carolina — Oct. 27 NC State L, 33-25 Nov. 3 at Wake Forest L, 64-43 Nov. 9 Louisville L, 56-10 Nov. 17 vs. Notre Dame* — Nov. 24 at Boston College L, 42-14 * at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 5-3 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 50, Syracuse 33 (Oct. 1, 2016; East Rutherford, N.J.) Head Coach: Dino Babers, 8-16 at Syracuse (3rd year) and 45-32 overall (7th year) 2017 Results: 4-8 overall, 2-6 ACC Atlantic (7th) Returning Starters: 14 (8 offense, 6 defense) 2018 Preseason Rankings: No. 58 by ESPN Power Football Index, No. 63 by Lindy's and No. 66 by Athlon Did You Know?: Syracuse head coach Dino Babers (running backs) and Notre Dame defen- sive coordinator Clark Lea (defensive graduate assistant) were both on the 2006 UCLA coaching staff … Lea coached linebackers at Syracuse from 2013-15 under former head coach Scott Shafer … Junior punter Sterling Hofrichter was named a preseason first-team All-ACC performer by Ath- lon and Phil Steele's … Senior tight end Ravian Pierce was named a second-team preseason pick by Athlon … Senior defensive tackle Chris Slayton was named to the preseason third team by Athlon, Phil Steele's and Lindy's … Lindy's named Eric Dungey as the best scrambling quar- terback in the ACC. Prediction: Notre Dame 44, Syracuse 21 STRENGTH: Quarterback Senior quarterback Eric Dungey enters the season ranked fourth all time in passing yards at Syracuse with 6,472 yards. He needs 2,719 yards this season to set the new career mark. Dungey is a dual-threat quarterback that has rushed for 1,239 yards and 20 touchdowns during his career. He is a competitive player, but has been a bit injury prone and Syracuse has suffered offen- sively in games he has missed. His 339 total yards and three touchdowns in Syra- cuse's 27-24 upset win over then-No. 4 Clemson in mid-October showed what Dungey can do when he's on his game and the offensive line can give him time. Rex Culpepper stepped in when Dungey was lost for the season with a leg injury Nov. 4. Culpepper struggled in his first two games, completing just 12 of 25 passes with no touchdowns. However, he fin- ished strong, throwing for 280 yards and two scores in the final game of the season. The wild card in this conversation is redshirt fresh- man Tommy DeVito. The nation's No. 136 overall player in the 2017 class according to ESPN, DeVito is a productive run-throw quarterback who was a spring standout. He threw three touchdowns in the Syracuse spring game, and some feel he could chal- lenge Dungey in the fall. CONCERN: Linebacker Syracuse ranked 98th in the country last season in scoring defense, rushing defense and total defense. It will have to improve on those dreadful numbers without all three of its starting linebackers and its top reserve. The Orange defense lost a total of 551 combined tackles, 42.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and 15 quarterback hurries from the position over the last two years. Zaire Franklin was a three-year captain and a two- time All-ACC selection before getting selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Parris Bennett was also a two-time All-ACC player, and the duo combined for 71 starts together. The returning two-deep combined for just 83 tack- les, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks during that same stretch. Senior Kielan Whitner is undersized (6-0, 216), but he is the one returner with starting experience. He started once in 2017 and three times in 2016, although the latter starts were at safety. Senior Ryan Guthrie is slated to start at Mike linebacker after mostly playing special teams last season, his first at Syracuse after transferring from Ellsworth Community College in Iowa. Guthrie will be joined inside by junior Andrew Armstrong, who spent the last two seasons as a key special teams player for the Orange. None of the players listed behind the starters have recorded a tackle at Syracuse. SYRACUSE ORANGE NOV. 17 • YANKEE STADIUM • BRONX, NY RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: QB Eric Dungey (595 yards, 9 TD) Passing: Dungey (2,495 yards, 14 TD) Receiving: WR Devin Butler (327 yards, 4 TD) Tackles: S Evan Foster (64) Sacks: DE Alton Robinson (5) Interceptions: Three players tied with 1 X-FACTOR: Senior quarterback Eric Dungey has struggled to stay healthy during his career, and it has cost the Orange. Syracuse is just 2-9 in games he hasn't started and averaged 53.5 fewer yards per game. The Orange averaged 29.1 points in the nine contests he played in last year, but only 22.3 in the three games he missed. PHOTO COURTESY SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS