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It was sloppy, frustrating and, at times, puzzlingly bad football.

Syracuse couldn’t get out of its own way early on. Garrett Shrader ended the first drive when his pass to Donovan Brown was almost picked off. Then, Army linebacker Kalib Fortner blew through Chris Bleich and sacked Shrader. The Orange recorded a field goal, but wouldn’t score a touchdown until their second drive in the third quarter.

After that first touchdown, everything clicked. SU’s slow start was quickly erased by two straight touchdown drives, giving it a 16-10 lead. Though it took two-and-a-half quarters for Syracuse to find any sort of offensive fluidity, Shrader hit Damien Alford for 31 yards, then 19 yards, on wide-open passes. LeQuint Allen Jr. capped off the drive with a 13-yard rush, shedding two tacklers at the line of scrimmage before powering through unscathed to the end zone.

Behind by seven at the half, Syracuse looked dejected. Shrader ended the second quarter with an interception. SU’s inability to find its footing kept Army ahead but the Orange, led by Allen’s touchdown early in the second half, mounted a furious comeback. Behind 26 unanswered points, Syracuse (4-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) erased an uncharacteristically sluggish beginning to stave off Army (2-2, Independent) 29-16.

“I left a lot on the table that I need to get better at … so that I’m able to go on the field and perform,” Allen said.

Army’s first drive set the tone. The Black Knights used up nine minutes and 25 seconds by overpowering the SU defense on short-yardage plays. SU knew the Black Knights were going to chew through the clock. Shrader said he saw Army completed 12- and 13-minute drives earlier this season.

The Orange, a team that allowed 143.8 rushing yards per game last season, were forced to adapt. In 2022, after jumping out to a 6-0 start, Syracuse’s injury-riddled defensive line was torched and torn apart throughout a five-game, mid-season losing streak. But Kevon Darton and Caleb Okechukwu returned for another year. Denis Jaquez Jr., who returned from injury, won the starting role out of camp. And Marlowe Wax said he’d be playing as a down lineman more often. Regardless of Army’s new, unique offense, Syracuse’s defense came in ranked as one of the best in the country.

Over the offseason, Army head coach Jeff Monken decided to move away from its traditional flexbone triple option offense. Monken brought in offensive coordinator Drew Thatcher to help adopt a more pass-centric approach. Upon his arrival, Thatcher installed an unorthodox gun option approach, forcing opponents to spend more time studying up on the Black Knights’ revamped offense.

It was that same, new-look style of play that led to a grueling opening drive. SU responded with its worst offensive performance of the season in the first half, allowing Army to gain leverage. Quinn Maretzki connected on a 38-yard field goal to put the Orange back seven points. Shrader couldn’t do anything on the Orange’s next drive, completing one pass before rolling out and throwing an interception to end the half.

“We gave them the respect too much when they first came out,” Umari Hatcher said. “Stuff happens.”

Syracuse tried to speed up the game. After falling behind, Shrader started to release the ball quicker. He preyed on short, darting passes which opened Army’s defense up. The Black Knights resorted to playing zone but SU’s speedy receivers kept moving the chains. Still, Shrader’s deep balls down the field didn’t work. He had Hatcher down the far sideline in the second quarter but overthrew him.

Syracuse ended the first half with just four first downs and 77 total yards. It passed one more time than Army. It averaged just 2.6 yards per rush. The Orange ended the first half without a touchdown for the first time since they beat Boston College on Nov. 26, 2022. Head coach Dino Babers said it’s rare for Syracuse to win the coin toss and defer to the second half, but he felt that against Army, it was going to be important for the Orange to have an opportunity to score the first drive of the second half.

“I’ve played these guys since the late 70s,” Babers said. “I understand this offense. Even though analytically it might not make any sense, giving them the ball in the first quarter, you having the ball in the third quarter, to me is the best way to play this.”

Entering with one of the top defenses and a humming offense, Syracuse had every reason to feel like it was going to roll through its final nonconference opponent of the season. The Orange had tallied 18 touchdowns and forced eight turnovers through a relatively clean first three games. But the 25 penalties SU committed, tied for the 9th-most in the country, have stained its early success. Babers promised after SU’s first game that the penalties would stop.

“It’s all about discipline this week,” Johnson said Tuesday. “You don’t want to overlook a team like this because they’re disciplined on their end, and they know what they do.”

The Orange were still called for six penalties against Army but never suffered the effects. And while SU’s first drive of the fourth quarter stalled out in the red zone, Brady Denaburg roped in a 30-yard field goal to give SU a nine-point cushion.

On the ensuing drive, Army decided to go for it on 4th-and-9 from its own 23 yard line. Syracuse had seen on film that the Black Knights tended to try for fourth down conversions and practiced four-and-outs this week to simulate staying on the field longer.

Shrader looked on, standing alone at the opposite 30 yard line. Army quarterback Bryson Daily’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and fluttered short of the intended receiver. The Orange’s bench entered a frenzy. The path to 4-0 was winding and raveled, but Syracuse got there.

“We were able to pull it out. We just have to make sure we come out strong a lot sooner,” Shrader said.

Published on September 23, 2023 at 3:50 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt