Friday, Sept. 23

7 p.m., ESPN

Syracuse Orange

Head Coach: Dino Babers

2022 Record: 3-0 (1-0 ACC)

UVa’s ACC schedule opens with a special Friday night tilt at Syracuse. The Orange are rolling into tonight matchup with a 3-0 record, including a Week 1 win over conference foe, Louisville. Babers has his team playing well, after re-tooling the offense by bringing in former UVa QB coach Jason Beck and offensive coordinator Robert Anae.

Last Saturday, UVa escaped with a 16-14 win over Old Dominion thanks to an early Mike Hollins TD and three field goals by Brendan Farrell, including a 26-yard game winner as time expired. UVa’s offense responded with 513 total yards in a balanced fashion. However, three turnovers allowed the game to be tight down to the final kick. Brennan Armstrong started off slow but turned in a solid performance, going 20 for 37 for 284 yards. When the team needed a score, he led his group down the field and positioned the special teams unit in place for the game winner. Xavier Brown was the breakout star for the UVa offense on Saturday. The first-year tailback from Lexington rushed for 88 yards on nine carries, giving the Hoos a much-needed burst in the backfield. Defensively, UVa kept ODU in check for most of the game. Only surrendering 324 total yards on the afternoon, John Rudzinski’s unit turned in another good performance. It remains to be seen if the offense can stack performances but tonight gives another opportunity to BA and his guys to be the dominant force that we all expected.

The Syracuse Orange are a confident bunch after Saturday’s shootout victory against the Purdue Boilermakers. Babers has a high-powered offense (averaging 37 points per game) and a stout defense that is making it hard for teams early this season. On offense, not only did Syracuse return some big-time talent in quarterback Garrett Shrader and All-Everything running back Sean Tucker, but the Orange added Anae and Beck to their staff. The former UVa offensive coaching duo have taken the wide-open “Air Raid” offense to upstate New York. Through three games, Shrader is completing 66 percent of his passes and has a perfect TD-to-INT ratio, tossing eight touchdowns to zero picks. He is also impactful in the run game with 46 carries and 201 yards and three scores. Look for Syracuse to use him like Bryce Perkins or Armstrong, as a dual threat.

The big difference will be at the running back position, where Syracuse has one of the best ball carriers in the country in Tucker. The 5-foot-10, 205 pounder rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last season and is working to get into a groove this year with a new offense and play caller. He has rushed for 254 yards through three games and tallied two touchdowns. Tucker is also a force in the passing game, having hauled in 12 balls this year for 124 yards. Look for 6-foot-5, 215-pound wideout Oronde Gadsden II to have an impact in the ball game, too. The sophomore has 12 receptions for 193 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.

The Orange defense is a strong unit, tied for 48th in the country in total D. Defensive coordinator Tony White will use a 3-3-5 defensive set as well as some zone and man principles on the backend. They can bring 5 every place like Illinois, so UVa will need to offset that coverage with some smart play calling. Purdue was able to produce 485 yards of offense against the Orange (424 yards passing). However, Syracuse has been solid against the run in all three games this season. Their defense has only surrendered 295 yards rushing in three games, putting them at 34th nationally. UVa has been at its best this season when the Hoos have been a balanced offense. Syracuse has some solid personnel on the defensive side of the ball, led by defensive back Garrett Williams. The 6-foot, 189-pound sophomore leads the team with 26 tackles and 1 interception this year. Mikel Jones (6-foot-1, 224 pounds) is the second leading tackler on the team with 21 stops and two sacks from his inside linebacker position. As a team, they have forced six turnovers in three games, so they are an opportunistic group that relies on negative plays and pressure from their athletic front.

1. Stay balanced on offense.

UVa needs to bottle up the balanced offense that has been on display at Scott Stadium and put it in their checked bags for the trip up north. In two games at Scott, albeit against lesser opponents, the Hoos have controlled both with their offense and have put up impressive statistics. At Illinois, the Cavalier offense was simply not good. I expect the entire offense to take another step forward this week and protect the ball as well. Look for UVa to convert some long drives unlike last week against ODU.

2. Special teams need to be consistent.

Daniel Sparks and Farrell have to continue being difference makers for the University of Virginia. Our special teams need to be the difference tonight. It is going to be a tough ball game in front of a likely sellout crowd at the JMA Wireless Dome. Sparks has done a great job punting the ball this season. A great punter puts more pressure on an opposing offense and gives your defense some room to operate. Fresh off his ACC Specialist of the Week honors, Farrell needs to be Mr. Automatic. UVa needs him to be a lock inside of 50 yards and continuously put kickoffs into the endzone. Make this Syracuse offense drive the ball against a Rudz-led defense. No short fields.

3. The defensive line needs to control the line of scrimmage.

To win a big conference game on the road, you need to win up front. Syracuse has an extremely talented running back at its disposal and UVa’s front 7 has been solid, not spectacular this season. Chico Bennett and Kam Butler are starting to heat up the quarterback with outside pressures, but our inside tackles need to be sound and physical this week to thwart the run game and push the pocket against Shrader. Nothing disrupts an offense more than penetration. Our guys up front need to win the battle on Friday night.

Last week, UVa controlled Old Dominion for most of the afternoon. However, turnovers and lack of execution allowed the Monarchs to hang around. UVa cannot afford those same mistakes against a talented Syracuse team on the road. Tony Elliott will have his team ready for this challenge. The Cavalier offense will need to stay balanced, while getting the ball to their playmakers in space and the UVa defense will need to win the ball game up front. Elliott mentioned this week that this is a game where UVa will have to take it from Syracuse. I believe that Hoos will come out with a focused mindset and try to make this a physical ballgame to counter Syracuse’s Air Raid offense. Armstrong will need to play smart football and keep the sticks moving. The Orange will make some plays but ultimately, the offensive weaponry of UVa is too much with Dontayvion Wicks having his first big game of the season. I think the Wahoos pick up their first ACC win of the season and finally gain some respect with a solid win on the road.

UVa 31

Syracuse 24

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