Syracuse returns home for its ACC opener, hoping to avenge a disappointing loss last week in MetLife. The Louisville Cardinals, meanwhile, return to get revenge against the team that spoiled their undefeated season back in 2012.
A pair of former Big East teams will match up on Friday night when Syracuse (2-2) hosts Louisville (4-1) in the Carrier Dome.
“It’s always great to play Louisville,” safety Durell Eskridge said. “I’m happy they’re in the ACC. They were one of our top opponents in the Big East.”
Eskridge’s defense forced five turnovers against Notre Dame on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as Syracuse suffered a 31-15 defeat to the Fighting Irish. The Orange completed its third straight game with at least 400 yards of total offense, only to come up small in key moments. Syracuse played poorly in third down situations (3-of-15) and added another ten penalties to make matters even worse.
“It’s just a function of us killing ourselves,” offensive coordinator George McDonald said. “Notre Dame’s a really good team, but when you jump offside, you don’t give yourself a chance to get the play started.”
One bright spot was Terrel Hunt, who was sharp against a highly touted Irish defense. Hunt completed 22-of-38 passes for a career-high 294 yards even without Ashton Broyld in the starting lineup. Hunt’s scrambling ability, however, was held in check and now he faces another strong front seven. Despite losing a pair of first round picks to the NFL Draft, the Cardinals only yield 58.2 rushing yards per game, which leads the nation. That’s a tough matchup for an offense still trying to get out of its own way right now.
“They’re a tough team,” Hunt said. “They play hard and they’re disciplined.”
On the other side of the ball, Louisville will likely be without quarterback Will Gardner. Freshman Reggie Bonnafon will get the nod in his absence after beating Wake Forest last week. Gardner missed all of last week’s game with a left knee injury. During this week’s ACC teleconference, Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino said there’s a chance Gardner could be available at some point in the game.
In the last meeting in the series, the Orange upset then-No.11 Louisville with a 45-26 victory during Syracuse’s final season in the Big East. That win ended Louisville’s bid for an undefeated season and propelled Syracuse to a share of the division title. And even though the Cards don’t enter with a perfect 9-0 record and Ryan Nassib’s record-breaking season is long gone, the stakes may be just as high for Syracuse. The Orange looks to avoid a three-game losing streak, heading into a high-profile meeting with the reigning champion Florida State Seminoles.
“Playing in the ACC, we know that every week is a big week for us,” linebacker Dyshawn Davis said. “And having nine straight, we just got to continue to put our heads down and keep working.”
What To Look For
- Pre-snap penalties-Syracuse struggled again in the penalty department last week, with several flags even before the play started. The coaching staff has focused on these mental errors during practice and wants to simplify some aspects of the offense to cut back on the errors. “We’re really making it a point of emphasis,” McDonald said. “We’re going to change up what we’re doing with the snap count to make it a little more uniform.”
- Ben Lewis-He only had one reception in 2013, but Lewis has been one of the most talked about players this week. He’ll get more responsibility now as Syracuse is dealing with an injury-depleted receiving corps. “His work ethic has always been great,” Shafer said. “As the opportunity to get more repetitions has come to be the situation, he’s taken full advantage of it. He’s a tough kid.”
- More Murphy-Syracuse will start freshman Cole Murphy at kicker. The coaching staff is going to take it "week-by-week" with the kicking game, but Murphy has proven to be the more reliable option so far. His only missed field goal attempt smacked off the uprights last week after the game was out of reach. "I felt like Cole had a good week of work and deserved that opportunity," Shafer said. "And if not for hitting that upright, I thought he kicked the ball fairly well in his first outing."
News and Nuggets
- Injury Bug-Even though it’s only the beginning of conference play, Syracuse already has a long injury list. Inactive players for this week are receivers Ashton Broyld and Brisly Estime, running back Devante McFarlane, offensive tackle Ivan Foy, tight end Kendall Moore, cornerback Wayne Morgan and safety Rodney Williams.
- Streaking Cards-Louisville lost to UConn in 2012 in in the following the week after falling to Syracuse. Since then, the Cardinals have won 18 of 20 games.
- TGIF-Syracuse enters the night having won its last five games played on Fridays. Dating back to the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl, the Orange is 8-1 in weekday games.