Syracuse is back in the win column after they beat Holy Cross, 42-14.

Here are three observations from Saturday's game.

Special teams continue to struggle.

The kicking and punting teams had numerous issues, the most obvious of which were three missed field goals. Junior kicker Brady Denaburg struggled today, missing from 28 (blocked) and 45 yards (well short).

Head coach Fran Brown decided to make a change, bringing in Jadyn Oh for his one attempt from 41 yards, which he banged off the upright.

The punt return team had some issues, too.

Freshman Davion Kerr and Junior Trebor Peña broke free on two long punt returns, but Syracuse was penalized on both of these returns, negating what would have set up prime field position for Kyle McCord and the offense.

Senior transfer wide receiver Jackson Meeks had a quiet first three games, with nine catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.

On Saturday, he eclipsed all three of those stats.

Meeks beat his matchup continuously, and McCord noticed. Meeks ended the game with 10 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. Some of his best catches happened near the sidelines, including 38-yard touchdown where Meeks torched the entire defense and sprinted into the endzone.

The most significant concern around the Syracuse defense this season has been stopping the run. But a related concern has been pressuring the opposing team's quarterback.

Heading into the matchup with the Crusaders, the Orange only had six sacks in three games. That continued for the first half, with Syracuse not sacking Holy Cross quarterback Joe Pesansky.

It allowed Pesansky plenty of time in the pocket, leading to two touchdown passes and Holy Cross heading into halftime down only two scores to a superior opponent.

It was a different story coming out of intermission.

The defense began to apply pressure to Pesansky and the Crusaders, leading to four sacks in the half.

Interestingly, all of the sacks came from true freshmen. Marrad Watson got the first sack of his Orange career.

After, it was the KingJoesph Edwards show. He recorded three sacks in the game, which is now the team high. Edwards' appearance came after a conversation with Brown earlier in he week.

“If he did X, Y, and Z, he would be able to play, and he kinda did that.” Brown said.

----

Chat about this story and all things Syracuse and Syracuse recruiting on our premium message board, Cuse Classified!

Follow us on Twitter @TheJuiceOnline, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @SUJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.

Tips/questions/concerns? E-mail Recruiting Analyst Charles Kang here.

Not a subscriber to The Juice Online? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community.