9 quick hits from Syracuse's 41-3 loss to Florida State

Syracuse was routed by Florida State on Saturday, 41-3. It was their third straight loss, dropping them to 4-3 overall and 0-3 in ACC play.

Here are some quick hits from the game.

Bigger, stronger, faster. It’s really that simple. If the way the Orange offensive line was overmatched on the first drive did not do it, Keon Coleman’s one-handed grab for Florida State on the ninth play of the game should have adequately established the “varsity versus freshmen team” feeling of this game.

Coleman, who is listed at 6’4” and 215 pounds, was a dominant force for the Seminoles, logging nine receptions on 11 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown to go with six punt returns for 107 yards, including a 72-yarder where he nearly added another score. Just as a comparison, SU’s starting linebacker Derek McDonald is 6’4”, 224 pounds.

One player who did not look out of place for the Orange was running back LeQuint Allen. Allen accounted for 52 of SU’s 97 yards on offense in the first half, highlighted by an 18-yard reception to get the Orange into Seminole territory for the first time on the drive that netted the lone Syracuse points of the game.

Allen tacked on a 27-yard run in the third quarter and a 25-yard burst early in the fourth to reach 126 yards from scrimmage, including 110 on 19 rushes.

Garrett Shrader’s bout with food poisoning had little to do with the outcome of the game and probably his stat line. Shrader’s third quarter was a rough one, completing just 2-of-8 passes for 37 yards.

While his 42.9 percent completion rate was the lowest of the season, Shrader’s passing yardage total and yards per attempt have decreased each of the last three weeks. He finished the toughest three-game stretch of the season with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The other side of Shrader’s struggles is how the wide receivers are playing. Damien Alford (two catches on seven targets, 37 yards) and Umari Hatcher (two catches on five targets, 36 yards) posted nearly identical, but modest, stat lines while Donovan Brown had more completions (one) than receptions (zero).

The quarterback-receivers combination is making it hard to know where the problems start and end between the two parties.

The fourth down defense was very good when called upon, forcing turnovers on downs on consecutive second quarter FSU drives.

The Orange forced an incompletion on a fourth-and-goal at the four, then stuffed a direct snap run on fourth-and-1 at the SU 26. Those efforts helped keep the game within reason before halftime.

Jayden Bellamy, who had recently been promoted to the starting lineup at corner, left the game with an injury late in the third quarter. Jeremiah Wilson, who had been unseated by Bellamy, replaced him on the field.

When backed up in his end zone on a second quarter punt, Jack Stonehouse rushed to make sure he was able to get the punt off. It was a short, line-drive punt that covered 44 yards, but the lack of hang time allowed it to be returned 30 yards until penalties nullified the return.

His other punts in the opening half resulted in a fair catch, a punt out of bounds, and two returned for a combined loss of a yard.

All in all, it was a good day for Stonehouse, who had one kick out of bounds for 29 yards, but still averaged 46.2 yards per punt.

Even Keon Coleman’s long return was a result of him slipping containment and breaking four tackles. Stonehouse’s pursuit on that play actually forced Coleman to cut back and he was eventually tripped up.

After logging a penalty-free first half, Syracuse stopped FSU on their first possession of the third quarter and were backed up at their own seven-yard-line. The Orange promptly committed a false start, backing them up to their own four.

Syracuse has their bye week, as does their next opponent, Virginia Tech. The Hokies (3-4, 2-1 ACC) have had an up and down season, snapping a three-game slide by winning two of three, including defeating Wake Forest on Saturday, 30-13. SU will travel to Blacksburg for a Thursday night contest on October 26.

Kyron Drones took over the starting quarterback spot for the third game of the season and has led a fairly conservative passing game while contributing with his legs. He averages just over 200 passing yards per start, including a career-high 321 yards against Wake, and adds just shy of 66 yards per outing. Drones is responsible for ten scores on the season, including five (three passing, two rushing) in the Hokies’ 38-21 win against Pitt.

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