Syracuse Orange Football: Finding Perspective in What We See from the Orange

The Syracuse Orange controlled the game against the NC State Wolfpack last night. They won an ACC road game in a place where we’ve experienced some nightmares. Orange fans should be very happy this morning.

I challenge each of you to honestly say that you thought the Orange would be better than 5-1 at this point in the season. Has the team played a full 60-minute game this year? No, I think that’s the exciting part of Syracuse heading into this bye week. 5:1 and room for improvement.

The back half of the schedule will be a challenge, starting next Thursday night with a 6-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers, but that’s all we could ask for heading into the 2024 season. Syracuse has positioned itself to change the national perception of the program and create a foundation for the return we have all been waiting for over the past 20+ years.

Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Last night was another example of this team’s resilience. The offense dominated the first half and came up empty in the red zone. The defense collapsed and received a terrible call that led to NC State’s touchdown. But both teams found a way to equalize in the second half. Yes, the Wolf Pack moved the ball to the Orange, but with some in the game thread calling them trash, the defense committed three forced turnovers.

The offense had better nights, but they were 9-18 on third and fourth down conversions. They controlled possession, wore down the Wolf Pack defense and kept the crowd at bay. As NC State began to focus the coverage on Oronde Gadsden and Trebor Pena, Kyle McCord turned to Jackson Meeks for nine completions in the second half.

The team will get another week off to try to get some players healthy and have more time to work out rotations on offense and defense. No one at the Syracuse football facility showed up today thinking that this team has reached its potential and that should be exciting for the fans.

I ask you again not to spend the next 10+ days dwelling on the negative aspects. Let’s enjoy what we’re seeing and find that rational optimism. We’ve suffered enough pain, so we should be a little happy about Syracuse Football’s 5-1 squad.