October 11, 2023

FSU vs. Syracuse breakdown: How does Syracuse’s offense, defense match up with Florida State? Can the Orange upset the Seminoles in Tallahassee? with Christian De Guzman of NunesMagician

38 minutes

The Florida State Seminoles reached 5-0 on the season after a win over the Virginia Tech Hokies.

This weekend, they’ll host the Syracuse Orange in an attempt to reach bowl eligibility.

Each week, as part of our Line of Scrimmage series, we’ll be speaking with members of the beat that covers FSU’s upcoming opponent, getting all the details from those who know those teams best.

The Syracuse season started off hot with a 4-0 record but will be headed into Tallahassee after back-to-back losses. To help us catch up on the up and down season for the Orange, we’ll be joined by Christian De Guzman of SBNation’s NunesMagician, who tackled the following questions:

Let’s start with head coach Dino Babers. I like Babers, I could start each day watching his locker room speech after the Virginia Tech upset. He’s 4-2 on the season, after a 7-6 record last year. What’s the overall feelings with Babers at the helm for Syracuse? Are you happy with where he has the program?

While last year saw quarterback Garrett Shrader and the Orange struggle against Florida State, it was a different story in 2021 when Shrader shredded the Seminoles with 137 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. This year, he ran wild against Purdue but has been pretty contained, at least on the ground, in the other games. Where do you feel Shrader has improved overall this year? And where does he still struggle?

Sticking to the backfield, Sean Tucker is gone and in his place is LeQuint Allen. The sophomore is averaging just over 4.5 yards per carry this season. Is Allen the big bruising back or the speedy/shifty type? Also, any other names to know from the backfield?

As far as receiving, Shrader appears to have spread the ball around pretty well so far with eight players catching at least six passes. Who are the names to know at receiver or tight end? And has the group taken any steps back with the Oronde Gadsden injury?

Last question on offense, Shrader has been sacked 14 times this season and the offensive line has suffered it’s fair share of injuries with the loss of David Wohlabaugh and Kalan Ellis. What’s your thoughts on the big guys up front?

Flipping over to defense, through the first four games, the Orange defense held up well before allowing 31 to Clemson and 40 to North Carolina. Would you put that on just the step up in competition or has the defense taken a step back overall?

Let’s go front to back on defense. Caleb Okechukwu is following up his breakout season of seven sacks with two so far this season. He’s joined by Terry Lockett, Kevon Darton, and others on this defensive front. What does this line do well? And is there an area where it has struggled this year?

I love a good linebacker name and Marlowe Wax is a fantastic one. What’s the defensive junior backer bring to this team? And how have you felt the second line has performed this year?

Finally, the secondary. The Orange saw quite a bit of transition in the off-season in this position group. Garrett Williams is in the NFL, Duce Chestnut is at LSU, Ja’Had Carter is at Ohio State. How has Syracuse handled the secondary turnover?

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