With the first game of the Syracuse football season just two days away, here’s a statistical breakdown of how much the Orange is losing from last season to this one. SU must replace eight starters on defense and a host of others on offense.

Follow along here for all of The Daily Orange’s coverage of Syracuse’s season opener against Rhode Island on Friday at 7 p.m.

Passing yards: 1.7 percent lost

The only quarterback who played last year no longer on the roster is Mitch Kimble, who totaled 37 yards in parts of three games. Terrel Hunt, AJ Long and Austin Wilson carried the lion’s share of yards at the quarterback position and all return in 2015, though none of the three played in more than six games last year.

Rushing yards: 56.7 percent lost

Syracuse loses its top two rushers from last season in Prince-Tyson Gulley and Adonis Ameen-Moore. Still, with that in consideration, the Orange isn’t losing a ton of its rushing yards. Hunt was the third-leading rusher in just five games. Devante McFarlane and George Morris combined for 271 rushing yards and are slated as the top two backs.

Receiving yards: 49.5 percent lost

Jarrod West led all Syracuse receivers with 700 yards — 285 more than Steve Ishmael in second. West accounts for the largest chunk of lost receiving yards, but the Orange will also have to replace Ashton Broyld, Adrian Flemming and Gulley who all contributed in the passing game.

Total tackles: 72.3 percent lost

SU must replace its top six leaders in total tackles and seven of its top eight. Sophomore linebacker Zaire Franklin is the leading returning tackler with 44 last season in just three starts. Syracuse replaces three starters on the defensive line and three in the secondary.

Interceptions: 75 percent lost

Brandon Reddish had three picks last year and was the only Orange player with multiple interceptions. Julian Whigham and Antwan Cordy each had a pick and are the only players on this year’s roster who made an interception in 2014.

Sacks: 57.4 percent lost

Cameron Lynch led Syracuse with seven sacks. Marqez Hodge, Ron Thompson and Franklin placed in second, third and fourth place, respectively and are all set up to contribute in big roles this season. How those three rush the quarterback may have increased importance considering the Orange’s youthful defensive line.

Tackles for loss: 66.9 percent lost

While the trio of Welsh, Crume and Robinson didn’t compile as many sacks as younger teammates, they did rack up TFLs. The ability to get off the line of scrimmage and cause havoc in the backfield could show whether or not SU’s revamped line can have a similar effect on games as it did last year.

Punt return yards: 65.3 percent lost

Brisly Estime is the only player on Syracuse’s roster that received a punt last season. Ritchy Desir, Darius Kelly and Gulley combined for 109 punt return yards, but now that hole must be filled. Estime took punts throughout training camp and is fully healthy after missing seven games last year due to injury.

Published on September 2, 2015 at 5:30 pm

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