Tailgate Talk: Stony Brook vs. SU

Usually when a BCS level schools plays an FCS opponent they are thinking about a game they should win not a game that could go the other way. Saturday the Syracuse Orange has a game against a high powered offense in the Stony Brook Seawolves.

The Match-Up

This is the first all-time meeting between Syracuse and Stony Brook.

Syracuse has won their last 28 games against current FCS opponents.

Syracuse last loss to a current FCS school on Oct. 4, 1958 at Holy Cross, 14-13.

Doug Marrone is 4-0 against FCS teams.

Saturday's game against Stony Brook will be Syracuse's first game against a Big South opponent.

Syracuse is 2-2-1 all-time in games played on Sept. 15, and went 2-0-1 on this date from 1979-1990.

What you need to know about Stony Brook

Stony Brook leads the FCS in total offense (591.0 yards per game). The Seawolves racked up a school-record 693 yards of total offense in its 77-7 drubbing of Pace on Sept. 8.

Stony Brook has done most of its damage on the ground. The Seawolves are third in the FCS in rushing offense (411.0 yards per game). They have 13 rushing TDs in two games.

Five Seawolves are averaging at least 60 yards per game rushing. Miguel Maysonet is the team leader at 112 rushing yards per contest. He also has four rushing touchdowns.

Because of its dominant ground attack, the Seawolves have only attempted 25 passes this season. QB Kyle Essington is 15-for-23 for 346 yards on the season. He has five TD passes and has been intercepted once.

The Syracuse offense

Breaking down SU's offensive numbers this year shows it has run 182 plays (112 pass, 70 run).

The aerial attack has totaled 804 yards, six touchdowns, and an average of 10.7 yards per completion.

Combine the two and Syracuse has accumulated 1,051 yards of total offense (525.5 yards per game) and nine touchdowns for an average of 5.8 yards per play. The Syracuse single-season record for total offense is 451.5, set in 10 games in 1959.

The Orange leads the BIG EAST in scoring offense (35.0 ypg), passing offense (402.0 ypg), total offense (525.5 ypg) and first downs (30.0 per

game).

Nationally, Syracuse is third in the NCAA in passing offense, tied for eighth in first downs, and ranks 20th in total offense.

The only two teams with more productive passing attacks than SU are Marshall (429.0 ypg) and Louisiana-Monroe (412.0 ypg). It should be noted the Louisiana-Monroe has only played once thus far in 2012.

The offense is moving quick

Syracuse's no huddle offense has generated 182 plays so far this season (91.0 per game). The Orange has possessed the ball for 61:54 this season, meaning the team is averaging one play every 20.4 seconds.

SU ran an astounding 95 plays (66 pass, 29 run) versus Northwestern, which was five short of the school record of 100 plays set in that 2002 triple overtime game against Virginia Tech.

Against USC, the Orange totaled 87 plays in 29:14 of possession me.

Ryan Nassib continues to rise

Quarterback Ryan Nassib ranks in the top three nationally in the following categories: completions per game (37.5, 2nd), passing yards (804, 2nd), passing yards per game (402.0, 3rd) and total offense (418.0 ypg, t-2nd).

He is the Orange career leader in completions (572) and ranks second in touchdown passes (50) behind Donovan McNabb's 77. Those number

place him among the NCAA active leaders in those categories.

Ryan Nassib ranks number 12 on the active completions list and tied for 7th place on the active passing touchdown list.

Sales proves his worth

Orange receiver Marcus Sales has been Ryan Nassib's favorite target so far this year. Sales has 20 catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns in two games.

He leads the BIG EAST, and ranks fourth nationally, in catches per game (10.0). He also leads the league, and lists ninth in the NCAA, in receiving yards per game (116.5).

Sales has three straight 100-yard games, including a career-best 172 yards and three touchdowns to help lead SU to a 36-34 win over Kansas State in the 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. His is the first SU player since Marvin Harrison in 1995(East Carolina, Minnesota, Rutgers) to post three consecutive 100-yard receiving games.

Sales has caught at least one pass in six straight games.

Syracuse defense makes an impact

The Orange defense boasts 15 players with at least six tackles so far this season.

Linebacker Marquis Spruill and corner Ri'Shard Anderson lead the way with 13 each.

In addition to Spruill and Anderson, linebacker Siriki Diabate (12 tackles) and safety Durell Eskridge (10 tackles) are also in double digits.

Syracuse is averaging 3.5 sacks per game through two outings. The Orange recorded five sacks in the 2012 opener against Northwestern and added two versus USC.

The Orange totaled five sacks just once in 2011 (vs. Rutgers) and the Northwestern game marked the first time since Scott Shafer became

defensive coordinator in 2009 Syracuse got to the quarterback at least five times.

Since defensive coordinator Scott Shafer took over in 2009, the Orange defense has held its opponents to less than 100 yards rushing 13 times and SU is 9-4 in those games.

The Orange is 9-2 under head coach Doug Marrone when holding its opponent to less than 300 yards of total offense.

Syracuse is 10-3 under Marrone when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points.

SU allowed only three 100-yard rushers since the start of 2011 (Connecticut's Lyle McCombs, USF's B.J. Daniels, and USC's Silas Redd).

Facts were obtained by SUathletics