Observations from Syracuse’s loss to BC: Villari wildcat, defense wilts
Syracuse quarterback Joe Filardi struggled once again to end SU's season, even ceding some snaps under center to tight end Dan Villari in a wildcat formation. Madison Cox | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse’s season has agonizingly come to a close. A once-promising year concluded with an eight-game losing streak. The final twist of the knife came at the hands of lowly Boston College, a program which was winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference and hadn’t won since Aug. 30.
Fran Brown won 10 games in his first season at Syracuse. This year, SU won three and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2021. With the loss, the Orange will finish the season at the bottom of the ACC.
Once starting quarterback Steve Angeli tore his Achilles, SU’s season was lost. Expectations were dampened, but nobody thought it could get this bad.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (3-9, 1-7 ACC) 34-12 loss to Boston College (2-10, 1-7 ACC):
Villari wildcat flashbacks
Syracuse’s quarterback play has been abysmal for the past two months. It’s the main reason why the Orange haven’t won a game since Sept. 20. That trend continued Saturday. Walk-on Joe Filardi earned his third career start following a three-interception performance in SU’s blowout defeat to No. 9 Notre Dame last week.
Filardi offered nothing on SU’s opening drive, going three-and-out. That’s when Brown put Dan Villari in the wildcat. Villari — who previously was used as a wildcat quarterback in 2023 when Garrett Shrader and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson were injured — helped SU move the ball better than it has in weeks. Villari’s handoff to Will Nixon led to a 28-yard gain up the left sideline before a couple keepers helped the Orange get into BC territory for the first time.
Despite SU’s quarterback struggles this season, Brown never used Villari out of the wildcat. The new wrinkle looked to have caught BC off guard. Villari didn’t attempt a pass, but faked on a third-and-short before keeping it himself for the first down. Villari’s runs weren’t explosive, but they kept Syracuse moving down the field.
Filardi was mixed in a little bit. On some plays he lined up as a receiver on the outside, while his pass attempts were minimal. He hit Johntay Cook on a screen, setting Syracuse up in the red zone on a drive which eventually ended in a Tripp Woody field goal to put the Orange up 6-3.
Eventually, BC caught on, forcing two three-and-outs from Syracuse in the third quarter. Villari was neutralized and Syracuse’s dormant offense returned. After Boston College took the lead, it forced SU into passing situations. Filardi couldn’t come up with enough plays and BC kept on building its lead. Villari returned for Syracuse’s penultimate drive, scoring on a one-yard rush, but it was way too late for SU to cause BC any problems.
Filardi’s latest outing was the final in what’s been a feeble effort from him and Syracuse over the past month. During the week, Brown teased true freshman Rich Belin might get some snaps at quarterback, but he never got his chance.
Defense slowly wilts
Outside of quarterback play, defense has been Syracuse’s biggest issue this year. The Orange entered Saturday dead last in the ACC in scoring defense (35 points allowed per game), rushing defense (178.4 yards allowed per game) and third-to-last in total yards allowed (427 yards per game). Offenses have gone through Elijah Robinson’s unit like a hot knife through butter. Boston College’s offense is nothing to write home about. Through the first half, Syracuse looked like it was having its best outing in a while.
The Orange held BC backup quarterback Grayson James to just 69 yards on 7-for-12 passing, holding strong in the red zone on multiple occasions. James replaced starter Dylan Lonergan after he injured his thumb in the first quarter and didn’t return. Last season, James helped BC defeat SU after replacing Thomas Castellanos. His 18-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-1 sealed the game in the fourth quarter after SU sold out to stop the run.
That pass was one of six from James. On Saturday, he got to show off more of his passing arsenal, especially after halftime. On the first play from scrimmage, James rifled a 54-yard pass to a wide open Lewis Bond, nearly matching his passing yards total from the first half. Three plays later, Turbo Richard walked into the end zone on a 16-yard rush, putting BC back in front.
Bond gave Syracuse nightmares in the second half, catching multiple big passes. He dominated Davien Kerr in the slot, with six of his catches gaining over 15 yards. Bond finished with eight catches for 171 yards. His chunk plays were key in helping BC move the ball down the field after its offense stalled for much of the first half.
During their eight-game losing streak to finish the year, the Orange allowed an average of 38.6 points per game. In all but one of those contests, SU allowed at least 30 points.
The lone bright spot
Woody has stabilized Syracuse’s kicking game this season after it was a mess last year. Jadyn Oh, Brady Denaburg and Jackson Kennedy made every field goal an adventure. They finished 13-for-22 on kicks, going 3-for-9 from beyond 40 yards. After hitting both his field goal attempts Saturday, Woody finished the season 12-for-14. He also knocked through every extra point he attempted this year.
The Iowa transfer didn’t have much volume, but when called upon, he was reliable. His 49-yard field goal tied his career longest, which he set against Clemson. Woody’s second field goal of the second quarter gave Syracuse its first lead since Oct. 31 against North Carolina.
Saturday was a field goal fest for a large portion of the game. Red zone stops from Syracuse forced Luca Lombardo into a couple short range attempts. Lombardo hit from 31 and 30 yards, but also missed from 40 to keep it a one possession game early in the second half.
