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Over the last three seasons, Syracuse recruited and ran a successful iteration of the 3-3-5 defense, one that gave advantage to its undersized athletes. Yet, heading into 2023, SU has experienced mass turnover. The Orange have lost two position coaches and three starters to the transfer portal and NFL Draft.

Syracuse’s season-opening matchup against Colgate provided a look into the potential of Rocky Long’s defense. The unit held the Raiders to just 106 yards of total offense and quarterback Michael Brescia to 29 yards and two interceptions.

Here are some examples of how SU’s defense clinched a shutout victory on Saturday:

Lowery’s decoy allows Wax to Clean Brescia

Long called his first blitz package on the third play of Colgate’s opening drive. Linebacker Marlowe Wax flew through the line of scrimmage, untouched, for a drive-ending sack. A combination of a decoy on the strong side and Wax’s starting position was what freed him up.

Leon Lowery was standing opposite the right tackle. Wax hovered over the nose tackle and began to creep forward. But with an empty set and running back Jaedon Henry sent in motion out right, the Raiders looked positioned to face a soft coverage.

At the snap, Lowery dropped back in coverage to help with a double team, allowing Wax to blow up the quarterback. The disguised blitz exposed Colgate’s offensive line. Even if Brescia got the pass off on his first read to Henry on a wheel route, defensive back Jaeden Gould was streaking in to likely tackle for a loss of yards.

Bringing the house

On this 3rd-and-5, Syracuse kept Wax and Lowery closer to the line of scrimmage than on previous blitzes. SU was going all in, perfectly fine with playing man defense against Colgate’s four receivers. Wax flew around the horn while Derek McDonald bull-rushed his way through a double team. McDonald’s move gave Kevon Darton and Caleb Okechukwu space up the middle to act as pseudo quarterback spies.

Brescia had no other option but to avoid a sack and a huge loss on third down. But with three linemen standing between him and the line of scrimmage, Brescia forced a soft pass across the middle to Brady Hutchison on a slant route.

Hutchison had his man beat but didn’t turn back in time. If Brescia placed that ball in front of Hutchison, it’s likely a first down and a miraculous escape.

Instead, Okechukwu was already on top of Brescia. Defensive back Jeremiah Wilson put two hands on Hutchison as the pass was thrown and jumped the route to pick off Brescia. With all five Raider linemen tied up in making sure Brescia stays up, Wilson had a clear path to the end zone and six points.

All you need is two

Syracuse was up 44-0 by the beginning of the third quarter but never let up. Throughout the contest, Okechukwu charged up the middle, rolling through Colgate tackles to constantly disturb Brescia.

Okechukwu’s early success led the Raiders to adjust and over compensate for him. On this play, Syracuse rushed just three linemen, shifting the other two up for pass coverage. Okechukwu and Stefon Thompson were each put on one-on-ones against the left tackle and left guard, respectively. Both applied a similar swipe move, shoving their man to clear a path to the quarterback. Dropping Darton back in coverage freed up the right guard, who was left isolated without a defender.

Meanwhile, the left tackle was kept back by Kadin Bailey. By now, Okechukwu and Thompson were steps from reaching Brescia. It was exactly what Long envisioned, wanting his top two players on the field rushing the quarterback. Placing the agile Denis Jaquez Jr. and a smaller Darton standing up at the line of scrimmage provided an extra layer of protection if Brescia was able to get around Thompson and Okechukwu.

Strong gap cancellation

With Colgate backup Zach Osborne in the game, someone who doesn’t use his legs as much as Brescia, the Orange eased off and worked on their zone coverage. As Colgate was about to snap the ball, Bailey crept up to rush on the right side. He came so close that Osborne didn’t audible out of the pass.

Upon the snap, Terry Lockett and Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff moved in tandem to their left to cancel the A gap. Kevin Jobity Jr. clogged up the left side by going straight at a double team. Bailey stayed home just in case Osborne tried to escape to his left while Lockett broke through the line and Fuentes-Cundiff cut back to his right.

Though it was a weak play action pass that never looked to be a run play, the execution from Syracuse’s defensive line was flawless.

Osborne had a receiver to his left wide open behind the line of scrimmage but looked at Treyvhon Saunders the entire time. Gregory Delaine read Osborne’s eyes easily to break in and register his first collegiate interception. Osborne might have had more time to survey the field and go through his progressions if Bailey didn’t arrive so quick.

Published on September 4, 2023 at 11:06 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt