Even in victory, shaky SU defense realizes need for improvement heading into Big East play
Minutes after putting the final touches on a blowout victory over Colgate Saturday, Syracuse linebacker Doug Hogue let his mind wander. He wasn’t thinking about the two weeks of rest that awaited the Orange. Or the program’s best start since 2003. Instead his focus was on what lies just around the corner.
And despite the fact that SU’s defense allowed just a single touchdown against the Raiders, Hogue wasn’t satisfied. He still wants to see his defense get better before facing an aggressive South Florida offense in Tampa less than two weeks from now.
‘After every game you play, you always feel like you could do better,’ Hogue said. ‘Going into the Big East in the next two weeks, we’ve got to pick things up and step our game up.’
Hogue wasn’t just being a perfectionist, either. Despite allowing just seven points in a 42-7 Colgate beatdown, the Orange gave up an alarming 23 first downs and 376 yards of total offense to its FCS counterparts. SU gave up 4-of-7 fourth-down conversions to the Raiders, whose players consistently moved the ball and kept the Orange defense on the field for long stretches.
Colgate running back Nate Eachus carved the Orange defense up for 147 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He was the catalyst behind a running game that pounded the ball for 230 yards Saturday — more than any other team over the past two seasons.
Raiders quarterback Greg Sullivan kept the defense honest, completing 20-of-31 passes for 146 yards and 53 yards on the ground.
The Orange now has two weeks to fix what Hogue harped on before carrying it into Big East play. Though the defense has held its opponents to eight points per game in its three wins, it allowed the only BCS conference team on its schedule — Washington — to drop 41 points on the road.
When asked what the defense needs to work on specifically, Hogue could only muster one word. ‘Everything,’ he said.
Linebacker Marquis Spruill, who led the Orange with 12 tackles Saturday, recognized the problem SU needs to address. He, too, recognized the defense needs to focus on some issues before taking the field against USF.
‘It feels good,’ Spruill said about only allowing seven points. ‘But we’re going to go watch film and see what we can get better at and make new goals for South Florida. … Colgate is a good team, but South Florida isn’t going to be Colgate.’
At the podium after the game, the 3-1 start was enough for Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone to crack a rare smile. The Orange did exactly what it was supposed to do and looked relatively impressive while doing it.
But after glancing at the numbers on a stat sheet, Marrone’s smile quickly disappeared, and that serious demeanor took over again.
‘We only gave up one touchdown, so I’m excited about that,’ Marrone said. ‘But at the end of the day, we’re talking about a football team that needs to get better and better every week, and that’s going to be the key for us.’
Yet three quarters in, despite allowing the Raiders to rack up yardage and move the ball up and down the field, SU was eyeing its first defensive shutout since 2005. Colgate’s penalties and a touchdown it had that was brought back kept Syracuse alive for what, at first glance, would have proven to be a solid defensive effort.
When Colgate eventually scored, the game was no longer in doubt. But not getting the shutout ultimately left Hogue with ‘a bad taste in (his) mouth.’ A bad taste that should keep the SU defense hungry and motivated to fix the inconsistencies before heading to Tampa.
Against the Bulls, 376 yards allowed will most likely result in a blowout. But not with the Orange on the winning end. That much was evident in Washington two weeks ago.
And that’s why, heading into Big East play, there will be a lot riding on the defense. It’s something Hogue and his teammates realize needs to be rectified during the bye week.
Said Hogue: ‘We need to become a better team when the Big East comes up so that we can win some games.’
