Photo by: Charles Wainwright
'Cuse Looks Ahead to Florida State
10/30/2017 4:56:00 PM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After a weekend off, the Orange (4-4, 2-2 ACC) resume play against ACC Atlantic Division rival Florida State (2-5, 2-4 ACC) Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:20 p.m. on the ACC Network. At three games under .500, the Seminoles are a team that is much better than their record indicates, according to Syracuse head coach Dino Babers.
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"They are a bunch of five stars with very good coaches and they know what they are doing," said Babers. "This team is a lot better than what their record indicates. They started off in the top three in the country and they have those type of athletes."
Syracuse has relied upon a much improved defense all season. Coordinator Brian Ward's unit is second in the nation in third-down defense and fourth in the ACC against the run. The Orange limited Miami to 136 yards on the ground in their last outing, and the Hurricanes had less than 100 yards rushing heading into the fourth quarter. Babers said the performance of the secondary has helped the front seven elevate their play.
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"When you get two guys that are playing at such a high level, like Christopher Fredrick, Scoop Bradshaw or Juwan Dowels, that is what's enabled us to do a lot of the things on defense that has allowed us to slow down some really good offenses," said Babers. "Next year we are going to have to replace our safeties and get the linebackers redone, but we really have a foundation for a good defense that is going to be around for a really long time."
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On the other side of the ball, tight end Ravian Pierce has allowed the offensive staff to be more creative with formations and play-calling. Pierce is fourth on the team in receiving yards with 204 on 23 receptions. His 23 grabs are the most for a Syracuse player at that position since 2012.
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"We really do enjoy having tight ends that can do a lot of things on our football team," said Babers. "The tight end has to be balanced. You don't want a tight end that can just block and you don't want a tight end that can just catch. You want a tight end that can do both."
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Quarterback Eric Dungey, the leader of the Syracuse offense, energizes a team that many outside the program still consider to be the underdog. Dungey ranks sixth nationally in completions per game (25.1) and seventh in total offense (337.9). He is also one of three ACC signal-callers, along with Louisville's Lamar Jackson and Wake Forest's John Wolford, to lead their team in rushing.
Dungey and the rest of the Orange offense will need to be bring their best effort Saturday to challenge a formidable Florida State defense. Seminole defensive ends Brian Burns (25 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 blocked kicks) and Josh Sweat (37 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 3.5) are as good a tandem as there is in the country. The secondary features Bednarik Award semifinalist Derwin James (50 tackles, 5 pass breakups) and Tarvarus McFadden (15 tackles, 5 pass breakups).
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"When you look at the athletes that Florida State has, the defensive linemen are unbelievable," said Babers. "Their defense is a championship defense and it is going to be a very interesting contest."
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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"They are a bunch of five stars with very good coaches and they know what they are doing," said Babers. "This team is a lot better than what their record indicates. They started off in the top three in the country and they have those type of athletes."
Syracuse has relied upon a much improved defense all season. Coordinator Brian Ward's unit is second in the nation in third-down defense and fourth in the ACC against the run. The Orange limited Miami to 136 yards on the ground in their last outing, and the Hurricanes had less than 100 yards rushing heading into the fourth quarter. Babers said the performance of the secondary has helped the front seven elevate their play.
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"When you get two guys that are playing at such a high level, like Christopher Fredrick, Scoop Bradshaw or Juwan Dowels, that is what's enabled us to do a lot of the things on defense that has allowed us to slow down some really good offenses," said Babers. "Next year we are going to have to replace our safeties and get the linebackers redone, but we really have a foundation for a good defense that is going to be around for a really long time."
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On the other side of the ball, tight end Ravian Pierce has allowed the offensive staff to be more creative with formations and play-calling. Pierce is fourth on the team in receiving yards with 204 on 23 receptions. His 23 grabs are the most for a Syracuse player at that position since 2012.
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"We really do enjoy having tight ends that can do a lot of things on our football team," said Babers. "The tight end has to be balanced. You don't want a tight end that can just block and you don't want a tight end that can just catch. You want a tight end that can do both."
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Quarterback Eric Dungey, the leader of the Syracuse offense, energizes a team that many outside the program still consider to be the underdog. Dungey ranks sixth nationally in completions per game (25.1) and seventh in total offense (337.9). He is also one of three ACC signal-callers, along with Louisville's Lamar Jackson and Wake Forest's John Wolford, to lead their team in rushing.
Dungey and the rest of the Orange offense will need to be bring their best effort Saturday to challenge a formidable Florida State defense. Seminole defensive ends Brian Burns (25 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 blocked kicks) and Josh Sweat (37 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 3.5) are as good a tandem as there is in the country. The secondary features Bednarik Award semifinalist Derwin James (50 tackles, 5 pass breakups) and Tarvarus McFadden (15 tackles, 5 pass breakups).
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"When you look at the athletes that Florida State has, the defensive linemen are unbelievable," said Babers. "Their defense is a championship defense and it is going to be a very interesting contest."
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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