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EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — On the heels of an impressive 31-7 win over Louisville in its season opener, Syracuse traveled to UConn, hoping to build on that momentum and pick up an easy win over a program that has been one of the nation’s worst over the last five years.

SU did just that, scoring on its first seven drives of the game and forcing three-and-outs on UConn’s first two drives. In fact, the Orange didn’t punt until the fourth quarter. Garrett Shrader led the way throughout, finishing with 311 total yards and five touchdowns. Courtney Jackson brought in a touchdown after only recording two catches last week, and SU impressed for the second straight week in a thorough beatdown of the Huskies. 

Here are a few observations from Syracuse’s 48-14 win against Connecticut:

Sean Tucker sets up pass game as Shrader continues to excel

A week after recording 330 total yards and earning Pro Football Focus’ top quarterback of the week, Shrader had another strong game. Unlike last season, when Shrader frequently pulled the ball down and ran if his first option wasn’t open downfield, the quarterback instead went through his progressions to find open receivers, particularly ones over the middle. He still ran when necessary, but it was predominantly his arm that carried Syracuse’s offense.

SU gave Sean Tucker plenty of handoffs (he finished with 27 attempts for 112 yards) and used that to set up the play-action passing game. Late in the first quarter, Damien Alford set up in the slot and streaked downfield on a vertical route while Shrader fooled the Huskies’ defense with a fake handoff to Tucker. Shrader dropped in a perfect pass to Alford, who took care of the rest, finishing the 47-yard pitch-and-catch with a “raise the roof” celebration. It put the Orange up 17-0, and capped off another strong opening quarter.

Then, just before halftime, Shrader sat in a clean pocket as Jackson worked against UConn’s zone coverage, finding a soft spot near the end zone, where Shrader found him for the touchdown. It was Tucker’s work on the drive that set up the pass game though, as the running back had five carries on the drive for 23 yards to help move SU down the field. 

Finding replacements for Chris Elmore, Stefon Thompson

One of the few downsides for Syracuse in last week’s win was losing two starters, fullback Chris Elmore and linebacker Stefon Thompson, to season-ending injuries. As a result, the Orange were forced to replace one of their best blockers and one of their best pass rushers. 

Redshirt freshman Derek McDonald replaced Thompson against Louisville and registered his first career interception. But McDonald doesn’t rush the passer like Thompson does, meaning Syracuse had to find new ways to get pressure on the quarterback. 

Early on Saturday, that pressure on Connecticut’s true freshman quarterback Zion Turner came via defensive backs like Rob Hanna and Justin Barron. Then in the second half, it came from linebacker Marlowe Wax, who was left unblocked off the edge and brought down Turner, forcing a fumble in the process. That turnover led to a two-yard Tucker touchdown run, giving Syracuse a 34-7 lead after the extra point. 

Offensively, SU turned to tight ends Oronde Gadsden II and Max Mang to replace Elmore. Both players were used in various formations, working out of the backfield and on the offensive line, among other spots, and were used in the passing game in addition to their run blocking work. Shrader was able to find the tight end wide-open in the middle of the field and Gadsden brought in three catches for 45 yards. Mang, who entered the game with just one career catch, added another one for six yards. 

UConn struggles in pass game

SU’s secondary — and defense as a whole — did a good job of limiting Malik Cunningham and Louisville’s offense last week, and that carried over to Saturday. It was something that was expected, though, since UConn’s offense ranked third-to-last nationally in points per game last season. 

In addition, the Huskies’ starting quarterback entering the season, Penn State transfer Ta’Quan Roberson, tore his ACL in their week one game against Utah State, forcing Turner into the starting role. The freshman threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 14-for-22 passing last week against Central Connecticut State, but didn’t come close to matching that on Saturday. 

UConn used a run-heavy attack against the Orange’s defense, but had plenty of trouble moving the ball. Connecticut had only 31 passing yards in the first half, a result of frequent handoffs to running back Nathan Carter and short passing attempts. The Huskies never tested Syracuse over the top, and were rarely able to find open space after receptions. Turner finished 14-for-17 for just 92 passing yards, and that number would’ve only been 36 if not for a 56-yard Aaron Turner touchdown off a screen pass in the third quarter. 

SU limits penalties after recording record number vs UL

Against Louisville, Syracuse notched a program-record 18 penalties, with frequent false start and delay of game penalties. It was something the Orange knew they needed to clean up, and they did just that, finishing with only three penalties for 15 yards.

Head coach Dino Babers said the Cardinals were essentially taunting SU’s offensive linemen last week, trying to guess snap counts and catch Syracuse off balance. It worked then, but the Orange recorded just one false start and no delay of game penalties against UConn. Outside of a Darius Tisdale hold in the second quarter, the offensive line had few miscues, paving the way for the Orange’s rush attack (which finished with 156 yards) and allowing three sacks. 

Offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron said SU spent lots of time in practice last week preparing for noise, claps and pre-snap movements by the defense, and penalties weren’t a problem at all during practice. 

And against the Huskies, on a night where there were few problems for Syracuse, penalties sure weren’t one of them.

Published on September 10, 2022 at 10:21 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_