Through three weeks in the 2015 season, Syracuse's biggest strength, statistically speaking, is its rush defense. The Orange is allowing just 46.7 rushing yards per game, good for third-best in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision.
This week, though, SU will face its toughest test yet in a running back. That's because Leonard Fournette, who ran for 228 yards against Auburn last week, will visit the Carrier Dome at 12:00 p.m. Saturday with the rest of the LSU Tigers. Limiting him on the ground could prove to be a difficult task and key to Syracuse coming away with the upset. SU could also struggle to score on the other end, since it will be starting Zack Mahoney, the sophomore walk-on Junior College transfer, at quarterback.
Through two games this season, Fournette is averaging 8.2 yards per rush attempt, putting him 13th among all FBS running backs and second in the Southeastern Conference, behind only Nick Chubb of the Georgia Bulldogs. Against Auburn last week, Fournette had runs of 71, 40 and 29 yards, helping the Tigers to a 45-21 win.
All of that prompted Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer to sing Fournette's praises on Shafer's weekly teleconference on Tuesday.
"In my 26 years (of coaching), I think this kid is the most talented tailback we will have gone against... He's special. When you watch him, he's 6-foot-1, 230, but he moves like he's 5-foot-9."
Shafer then added that Fournette moves as well as Brisly Estime, SU's speedy wide receiver, but adds to it with power -- a rare combination. Shafer said Fournette reminds him of Earl Campbell, who won the Heisman Trophy as a member of the Texas Longhorns in 1977 and went on to rush for over 9,000 yards in his NFL career.
Chuck Bullough, meanwhile, opted to draw comparisons between Fournette and a current NFL running back.
"He's the college version of Adrian Peterson... (Fournette)'s going to try to run you over, so you have to bring your big boy pads."
Bullough also said that it will be interesting to see how the Tigers try to attack Syracuse's defense, since they have Fournette but other teams have had success against SU through the air. Last week, Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush threw for 430 yards, while Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford racked up 373 yards passing in week two against the Orange.
On the other side of the ball, Syracuse will likely be starting Mahoney, who transferred to SU from College of DuPage in January, at quarterback. On Tuesday, Tim Lester was complimentary of Mahoney's performance in practice.
“Right now, Zack’s the guy that’s shown the most and he’s the most consistent with what we’re doing. We’re confident he can execute all facets of our offense.”
And if there's another reason to be optimistic about Mahoney, it's how he played last week against the Chippewas. Mahoney completed all four of his throws for 19 yards and ran for another 12 yards. He also led the Orange on a game-winning touchdown drive in overtime.
LSU, however, will likely provide the biggest test Mahoney has ever faced; the Tigers are the eighth ranked team in college football. Still, LSU head coach Les Miles said he expects the best aspects of SU's offense to "still be there" with Mahoney at quarterback.
You can find out live how Mahoney performs by tuning into the game at 12:00 p.m. Saturday on 88.3 FM WAER.