Orange grades: QBs flunk, pass-rush problems
Syracuse suffered in all areas on the field Friday, most notably with its pass rush, which failed to record a sack in its 27-10 loss to North Carolina. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer
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It was a dark and stormy night. No, not because it was Halloween. But because Syracuse football played. The Orange failed to score an offensive touchdown as they allowed North Carolina and Bill Belichick to capture its first Atlantic Coast Conference win.
Here are position-group grades for SU’s 27-10 loss to UNC:
Quarterback: F
Joe Filardi began the game 0-for-8, finished the first half 1-for-11 and ended the day with 39 yards on four completions. He shouldn’t have even been in the game to begin with. But by definition, that’s a flunk.
The Orange inserted Luke Carney for two drives, though he didn’t attempt a pass. Filardi and Carney used their legs at times to make things happen, combining for 18 rushing yards. Filardi finished with a 42.2 grade per Pro Football Focus, the lowest offensive mark.
Now with three-fourths of the season done, Syracuse simply doesn’t have a quarterback. SU reaffirmed that Friday night.
Running back: C+
With a passing game in limbo, it’s quite difficult to get a rushing game going. Yasin Willis ran for 61 yards on 15 attempts, as he continues to barrel through the gut of defenses. Will Nixon tallied 29 yards on five rushes and recorded one of the four receptions.
The numbers aren’t as prolific as last week against Georgia Tech. In Atlanta, Willis earned 76 rushing yards on 7.6 yards per carry. Nixon also reached the end zone. Friday was a step back, as the running backs can’t do much at this point to save the offense.
Receiver/Tight End: D
SU’s receiving corps entered the year as its most talented unit. Over the last month, it’s found out truly how important a quarterback is to its success. The Orange’s wide receivers had just one catch in the first half and three overall.
No tight end earned a reception despite Dan Villari playing 50 snaps and David Clement logging 18. Darius “Boobie” Johnson made the play of the night with a 25-yard catch, the only time Syracuse moved the sticks through the air. Justus Ross-Simmons played only one snap and Johntay Cook was shut out despite 28 snaps.
This unit has all the talent in the world, and it doesn’t matter at this point.
Offensive line: C
The Orange’s offensive line is in continuous flux as they try to give Byron Washington a more prominent role and deal with some injuries. The absence of Josh Miller at center, mixed with a prior injury to Austin Collins, slid Joe Cruz to center Friday.
Filardi was sacked three times, and UNC recorded five tackles for loss. Part of the issue was Filardi holding the ball too long. Washington showed off at right guard with a team-high 81.2 pass blocking grade, though the unit couldn’t get enough push to get the run game going.
Washington’s emergence is important for the future. But in the present, it’s the same old story for this unit.
Defensive line: D+
North Carolina’s offense entered the game with 18.3 points per game, as quarterback Gio Lopez never found comfort as its signal-caller. Fast forward to a matchup with Syracuse, and Lopez had his way.
Dion “Tank” Wilson Jr. and George Rooks made a key stop at the end of the first half to force a field goal. But this unit finished the day with no sacks and allowed Lopez to cruise to a 79% completion mark. It comes just a week after Haynes King passed for 81% against the Orange.
On top of Lopez’s big day, running back Demon June eclipsed 100 rushing yards and exposed gaps in the defensive line. This isn’t an all-out failure, but it’s pretty close.
Linebackers: C+
With Gary Bryant III limited to 13 snaps, a depleted linebacker corps couldn’t keep up with June or Lopez either. However, Anwar Sparrow played well with five tackles, two for loss and a scoop and score in the first half to give the Orange their only touchdown of the day.
True freshman Antoine Deslauriers is becoming a star, and despite a lower-body injury, he returned to action. But this unit didn’t have its best day, and the tackling still needs vast improvement, as shown through June’s success.
Secondary: C+
Devin Grant forced a fumble that turned into Sparrow’s touchdown, while defensive backs Demetres Samuel Jr. and Duce Chestnut led Syracuse in tackles. These stats alone are important but don’t paint the full picture of a unit still trying to find its way.
Lopez had all day in the pocket to deliver and found completions all over the field. His first touchdown was a screen pass to June, who brushed by Chestnut and stiff-armed Braheem Long Jr. for a 72-yard score. Later in the game, Lopez found a pocket in the secondary between Grant and Cornell Perry to extend UNC’s lead to 17.
Special teams: B-
The special teams’ improvements from a year ago are an afterthought at this point in the season. The Orange continue to prove they have a top punter in the nation with Jack Stonehouse, who had six punts for an average of 45.3 yards each. His longest was 57 yards.
Tripp Woody made his only two kicks of the night and is now 9-for-10 on field goals and 20-for-20 on extra points. Samuel Jr. even had two good punt returns, one for 19 yards.
These would’ve been great statistics a year ago when the margin for error was slim to a 10-win season. Now, the improvements do mean much in continuous blowouts.
Coaching: D
Amid a five-game losing streak, there’s not much to say about this team that hasn’t already been said. But by turning to a true freshman walk-on quarterback against Belichick, this took another turn for the worse.
SU’s defense also collapsed in the second half in tandem with its offense. This was a winnable game, and the Orange threw away their opportunity.
