SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) – Max Suter has been through some rough times at Syracuse, but the senior safety isn’t worried about how the Orange will respond after last week’s humbling homecoming loss to Pittsburgh.
“Years past, I’d be worried about it, but with this team, I’m not concerned,” Suter said. “We’re ready to move forward.”
Syracuse (4-2, 1-1 Big East), which hasn’t won more than one conference game in a season since it went 4-2 under Paul Pasqualoni in 2004, now heads to one of the most imposing road venues in the nation when the Orange visit No. 20 West Virginia (5-1, 1-0) on Saturday.
“There’s nothing like Morgantown as far as the enthusiasm and the crowd,” Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone said. “I’ve been in the ACC, the SEC, the NFL … and I still can recall the two games I played down in West Virginia. That’s the type of impact that can have.”
West Virginia employs a 3-3-5 defense – three linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs – and it has purred so far. The Mountaineers rank in the top five nationally in scoring, rush and total defense. They’ve also allowed just under 163 yards passing per game and have 18 sacks.
“They have more starts on their defense than any defense we will play,” Marrone said. “They are extremely fast and extremely talented.”
In last week’s 45-14 loss to Pittsburgh, Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib was forced to pass when the Panthers went ahead by three touchdowns. He was intercepted twice, including one that was returned 80 yards for a score that erased any doubt about the outcome.
Now, he faces a defense that includes junior cornerback Keith Tandy, who has four interceptions in his last three games, all on tipped balls.
“Every week I’m always concerned about the ballhawks on the defense, and I think West Virginia’s got a lot of them,” Nassib said. “Those tipped balls are part of the game, and sometimes stuff just happens. We’re just going to make sure we run crisp routes and make accurate throws so stuff like that doesn’t happen, and we get the defensive line’s hands down so they don’t tip those passes.”
Syracuse has lost eight straight to the Mountaineers, including a 34-13 setback in the Carrier Dome last year. The Orange aren’t thinking about that, though, or last week for that matter.
“This is a different Syracuse team,” senior linebacker Derrell Smith said. “As far as the past, we’re not really focused on that.”
The Orange will have five games remaining after Saturday, all in the Big East, and three are at home. Marrone, who separates seasons into four segments, feels his team is on track for the postseason. Syracuse needs to win three more games to become bowl eligible.
“We were 2-1 in the first quarter, we were 2-1 in the second quarter,” Marrone said. “We understand that we have a tough schedule in front of us, but we also understand that we have to get better every day.”
Add A Comment