WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— Syracuse (2-4, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) dropped its matchup with Wake Forest (5-1, 2-1 ACC), 28-9. The Orange has backed itself into a corner if it would like to be bowl eligible. SU needs at least three wins to get on the fringe and likely four to guarantee itself bowl eligibility.

The Orange still has ranked teams Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State on its slate. SU’s matchups with the Hokies and Seminoles are home games.

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s showing at BB&T Field.

Rock me mama like the wind and the rain

It may not have been a full-force Hurricane Matthew, but Syracuse and Wake Forest both felt the full effects of the rain and wind, especially in the first half. The Orange and Demon Deacons combined for five fumbles and an interception. The only lost fumble between the teams in the first half came when SU linebacker Jonathan Thomas ripped the ball out of Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford’s hands as the latter tried to cross the goal line on a fourth-and-1.

Cordell Hudson jumped on the fumble and SU got a touchback. Maybe the most telling sign of the weather’s effect was Syracuse’s lack of deep passing attempts. Eric Dungey launched just one deep pass and it came on a miscommunication with Steve Ishmael, who ran a short route and was open. Dungey’s pass flew toward the sidelines and out of bounds. Deep threat Amba Etta-Tawo was covered one-on-one for most of the first half with no extra safety help and was targeted only on underneath passes.

Late in the game, Eric Dungey threw a short pass to runningback Jordan Fredericks, who fumbled the ball. Safety Cameron Glenn returned the fumble for 78 yards and a touchdown to put SU away for good. Etta-Tawo was also called for a personal foul at the end of the play to compound the problems for Syracuse.

Red hot in the red zone

Syracuse has struggled defensively all year, but in its last three games, it has made three key red zone stands. At the end of the Orange’s matchup with Connecticut, Zaire Franklin stopped Huskies quarterback Bryant Shirreffs at the goal line. Then SU stopped Notre Dame on fourth down when Kielan Whitner zipped through the hole and stopped running back Josh Adams.

On Saturday, Thomas stripped Wolford and got SU the ball back. When SU doesn’t give up big plays, it still lets teams drive on it sometimes. To win or stay in games, the Orange will likely need more goal-line stops against its future opponents. It’s not an ideal position for Syracuse to be in, but the occasional stop should prove beneficial.

W(T)F

Head coach Dino Babers and offensive coordinators Sean Lewis and Mike Lynch called a conservative game on Saturday. SU failed to throw the ball deep except for two passes by Dungey. Both targeted Ishmael. The second target to Ishmael was deep down the right sideline. The SU wide receiver leapt over the corner in front of him and brought the ball to his shoulder with one hand. He then bobbled it and gripped it with both hands before turning and running.

The rain completely stopped in the second half and the American flag flown at the end of the field stopped whipping as hard as it had been. Even then, SU refused to throw the ball deep, opting for short chunk plays and screens. Dungey missed several of his throws underneath and SU had several drops.

Published on October 8, 2016 at 10:46 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati