Behind Enemy Lines -- Syracuse Orange

By Alan Gerould, Senior Columnist, BroncoBlitz

We are pleased to welcome Ben Burrows to this week's Behind Enemy Lines. Ben covers Syracuse athletics for the Post-Standard/Syracuse.com and is well-positioned to offer us some insight into what we might expect this Saturday in the (Carrier) Dome. We're happy to have you Ben, welcome to the hot seat.

BroncoBlitz: Syracuse Coach Dino Babers is adjusting to life after Eric Dungey. Do you sense that the feeling among the faithful is that the program is in regression or that the Orange has run into a much improved Maryland team hitting on all cylinders and a national championship team with a chip on its shoulder?

Ben Burrows: I think Syracuse ran into some tough match-ups early. Coming into the season, a lot of fans thought the offense could actually be better because they believe DeVito is better equipped to thrive in Babers’ offense than Dungey was – not to take away from what he did, because it was special. But DeVito and his receivers clearly don’t have the chemistry needed to run Dino’s high-speed offense yet, and it’s tough to win if your offense isn’t clicking while Maryland is converting 11 of 15 on 3rd down. In general, I think the Terps were a lot better than we expected offensively. The Clemson Tigers were who we thought they were.

BroncoBlitz: Last year in Kalamazoo, Tommy Devito struggled against the Broncos when he was thrust into duty to replace an injured Dungey. We know he has talent and that he has a lot of pieces around him but the offensive line has limited experience and that has resulted in Devito being under pressure and the running game has been spotty. Do you think Devito and the offense will find itself against the Broncos?

Ben Burrows: This mostly comes down to if/when starting center Sam Heckel comes back. With Heckel out, LT Airon Servais shifts to center, RT Carlos Vettorello shifts to LT and Ryan Alexander is substituted in at RT. They have yet to prove that they can consistently protect DeVito with that patchwork offensive line and I’m not sure that changes until Heckel comes back – and he’s still questionable to play this week. With Heckel out, I think the offense can thrive if it finds easier opportunities for DeVito to make plays – the screen is a possibility with guys like Moe Neal, Abdul Adams, Taj Harris and Sean Riley great at making plays in space.

Bronco Blitz: The Orange defense was gashed for over 600 yards last night and gave up 60 points the week before to Maryland after opening up with a dominating, shutout over Liberty. The Broncos had 700 yards in its last game, although admittedly, they weren't playing the defending national champion and #1 ranked team in the land. Linebacker Lakiem Williams is a stud but he can't do it on his own. Does the defense have enough to throttle the Broncos as the Spartans did in week two or are there reasons to believe the defense has multiple weaknesses and if so what are they?

Ben Burrows: I think the linebackers are a huge weakness for the Orange right now. Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman are two of the best defensive ends in the country, so the Orange will almost always have plenty of QB pressure. But both Maryland and Clemson consistently found ways to force the linebackers to make plays and they came up short over and over. Clemson also did a great job of targeting 5-foot-8 Antwan Cordy in the secondary with larger receivers. SU’s secondary has had issues tackling so far this season, so the Orange could have some problems if Western Michigan gets players in space.

BroncoBlitz: Place-kicker Andre Szmyt and punter Sterling Hofrichter both had strong games against the Tigers and are real weapons in Coach Baber's arsenal. What else can you tell us about the Orange Special Teams?

Ben Burrows: In my opinion, the punt coverage is what really puts this unit over the top. Getting almost-guaranteed points when Szmyt lines up is always nice, but punter Sterling Hofrichter has been exceptional. Hofrichter is so good because he’s able to crush those 50- and 60-yard punts while forcing fair catches because of the hang-time. It’s really tough to return kicks against Syracuse.

BroncoBlitz: The Syracuse players have to be anxious to get back on the field after getting spanked at home, in front of over 50,000 and a national television audience, on homecoming, etc. The Broncos ran into the same type of motivation against Michigan State the Saturday before last and it didn't work out well for the brown and gold. The Orange have been installed as a 4-point favorite this Saturday. What must the 'Cuse do to win this game and how do you think the Orange will respond this week? Finally, what will the scoreboard read when the final gun sounds?

Ben Burrows: I’m not sure the offensive line gets its issues worked out this week, so DeVito needs to clean up some mistakes while Babers and offensive coordinator Mike Lynch find ways to get the ball out quickly. I expect a higher volume of screens and short slants from SU on Saturday to make up for that patchwork offensive line. I also expect Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman will do a better job of getting to the quarterback, which should take some pressure off those struggling linebackers. I think Syracuse wins and covers, 30-21.