2019 Syracuse Orange Football Season Preview
The Dino Babers era at Syracuse University enters year four with the highest expectations of any season during his tenure.
Why wouldn’t the season be set-up this way? Upset over Virginia Tech. Upset over Clemson. Almost another upset over Clemson last season. Oh, last season, a 10-3 finish with a 34-18 Camping World Bowl win over West Virginia plus a 6-2 ACC record and solid wins from start to finish. The Orange finished the season ranked #15 in both the AP and Coaches Poll.
But there will be challenges ahead. There’s a new sheriff behind center. Will the linebackers hold up? Syracuse isn’t sneaking-up on anyone anymore as well. Let’s have a look at the Orange in 2019 and break things down.
Key unit: Offensive line. This unit must protect the youngster Tommy DeVito. The season depends on it.
Key player: Tommy DeVito. The warrior Eric Dungey is gone and so too is the dual threat of pass-run for the most part. DeVito of course must get protection, but the coaching staff and Tommy D need to work together on getting the ball out quickly and executing the fast-paced offense. “He has all the tools to be ‘the man’ and flashed that last season,” says Mike McAllister of Cuse Nation. “Fans should be patient as sometimes young quarterbacks have growing pains. But DeVito has all the tools. -Arm strength, accuracy, bravado and intelligence.”
Exciting player to watch: Abdul Adams, RB. I remember talking with people inside the program who warned me that the best running back for Syracuse in 2018 wasn’t even on the field. The Landover, MD product is explosive and dynamic and can help with play-action for Tommy D. He did make his debut in the bowl game against WVU and scored two touchdowns. Oh, and he came from Oklahoma so he can play.
Team strength: Special teams. You could go defensive line or secondary, but Syracuse is loaded-up on special teams more than people around the country think. “SU returns the nation’s best kicker in Andre Szmyt and probably a Top 5 punter in Sterling Hofrichter,” says Stephen Bailey, Syracuse.com Orange beat reporter. “Yardage gained in the kicking game goes a long way, especially when you consider SU’s tempo. More possessions means more opportunities to flip the field in your favor.”
Key game: Week two at Maryland (September 7). The week after is Clemson. The Orange can’t look past the Terps who should be faster and better and ready for the Orange. “Syracuse has a better roster than Maryland and may have a better season, says McAllister. But on the road against a team with a new coach eager to prove it is on the way back? That’s a tough place to play and could be a difficult spot for Syracuse.
Game to circle: September 14. vs. Clemson. Shocked, right? The defending champs come into the Carrier Dome and Orange fans hope Syracuse is 2-0 with College GameDay on campus.
Carrier Dome interior before the fans overrun it for the 2019 season.
Key stretch: October 10 to November 23. Syracuse gets into this 6-game stretch after the bye and could be 3-2 or 4-1 or if they go nuts, 5-0 (beating Maryland and Clemson would likely produce this record). But this October-November stretch will likely make or break the season regardless. At N.C. State, vs. Pittsburgh, at Florida State, vs. Boston College, at Duke and at Louisville. If Syracuse enters this slate say 4-1 and ends-up 4-2, a 9-3 identical regular season record from 2018 is possible with Wake Forest at the Dome on November 30.
Best case record: 10-2, 2nd in the ACC Atlantic Division. Worst case record: 8-4, 4th place in the ACC Atlantic Division. If Syracuse beats “who they should beat,” they could end-up 10-2 or even, gulp, 11-1 and battle for the … Orange Bowl?!? But this is sports. New QB. Lots changes year to year.
The Dino Effect. To win in sports, you need depth, versatility and balance. Syracuse is finally there in all three spots thanks to Dino Babers and his coaching staff recruiting like mad men. They can interchange players, they have speed and they can fool teams on both sides of the ball. “I think this season is better set-up for success than any since the Doug Marrone era,” says Stephen Bailey. “The Orange has talent across the board, depth at some positions, and a very manageable schedule. While re-tooled units like offensive line and linebacker could cause issues, the singular factor that’s most connected to team success is Tommy DeVito.”
Keys to the season (from Paul Esden of Inside the Loud House): “Tommy DeVito has to be serviceable.” He should be more than that in this offense, but he doesn’t have to win the games, he just has to avoid losing them. This offensive line is replacing three starters. They need to be stable enough to provide a pocket for Tommy to be able to throw from. He hasn’t proven whether he can be as mobile as his predecessor (Dungey), so, in other words, he’s a pocket passer. If the line can’t hold-up, Syracuse is going to lose a lot of games. On defense, SU is replacing the entire starting linebacking group, but retain their entire secondary and defensive line. Can those units be elite again this year? If yes is the answer to that question, SU will be in every game regardless of the opponent.
Final thought: Syracuse should tally wins against Liberty, Holy Cross and Western Michigan. The ACC should be about like last season, but we don’t know if Florida State and Louisville can rebound in a big way. The Orange needs to protect home turf and start the season 2-0. Remember, just a few years back, SU fans thought that the program would never be good again and the Dome was empty. Enter Dino Babers. Enter speed and talent and depth and balance and versatility. Enter a 10-win season. Enter competing against the nation’s best and having a chance in every game. Enter 2019 with monster expectations. If Tommy DeVito does his thing and the O-line blocks, the sky is the limit. Another 10-win season or better would flip CNY from a basketball town to a football town. Count on it.
Follow Mike Lindsley on Twitter @MikeLSports and download his podcast the “ML Sports Platter” on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Spotify.
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