Orange grades: Final QB blunders, secondary stumbles in loss to BC
Syracuse fell 34-12 in its season-ending loss to Boston College, plagued by its quarterback struggles and secondary problems in the second half. Madison Cox | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse’s regular-season finale came and went, yet the same issues occurred. The Orange dropped their eighth-straight game, falling to Boston College 34-12. With the defeat, Syracuse clinched last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Here are position-group grades from SU’s season-ending loss to BC:
Quarterback: D+
One last time, the quarterback position held Syracuse back and resulted in another loss. True freshman walk-on Joe Filardi started his third game of the season and completed 10-of-18 passes for 65 yards. The completion percentage was his best in a start this year, but his inability to stretch the defense out through the passing game eventually sizzled out a wildcat offense.
Filardi was efficient on the ground with 54 rushing yards on eight attempts, good for 6.8 yards per carry. A run of 26 yards was the longest of his career. SU head coach Fran Brown said another freshman, Rich Belin, was supposed to play but never entered the game despite warming up for most of the contest.
Running back: C
The Orange played without Yasin Willis for the second straight week, but turned in their best rushing performance of the season. Filardi played a role in it, as did tight end Dan Villari, but Will Nixon led Syracuse with 73 yards on 16 attempts. The mark was Nixon’s most in his two years with the Orange.
Nixon and new running back Davion Kerr added receptions to move the passing game slightly. This felt like a prime opportunity to get freshman Tylik Hill more reps, establishing him further for the backup role once Nixon graduates. Instead, he carried the ball just three times for 15 yards.
Receiver/Tight End: C+
Villari went out with a bang for his final college game, turning back the clock to 2023 for his wildcat extravaganza. For some time, it worked. He finished with 44 rushing yards on 11 carries and also punched in SU’s only touchdown. As for the passing game, Villari garnered just one reception. The rest of the squad didn’t do much better.
Johntay Cook II tallied three receptions for 28 yards to lead the way, making things happen in space. Darien Williams pulled in two catches, but Darrell Gill Jr. failed to record a reception for the first time all season. Postgame, Gill said his only target of the game was a play he felt he could’ve made if he’d dove. The ball fell incomplete, and Gill now has an entire offseason to think about it.
Offensive line: D+
For a short time, Syracuse’s offensive line barreled through BC’s defense to move the running game downfield. The wildcat formation moved the ball efficiently in the second quarter to kick two field goals. The end of the fourth quarter had similar success. But as Boston College pulled away, the Orange had little movement up front.
Right guard Byron Washington posted a horrific 28.8 pass blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus, but the opposite side of the line posted some success. Left guard TJ Ferguson scored a 75.2 overall grade on 28 snaps and Da’Metrius Weatherspoon played 62 snaps, primarily at right tackle, recording an 83.1 in the passing game. The inconsistency across the board has hurt SU all year.
Defensive line: C-
Syracuse’s bottom-tier pass-rushing unit expectedly recorded just one sack all game. Senior Denis Jaquez Jr. got home to take down BC quarterback Grayson James. The Orange did tally five tackles for loss, impressively coming from five different players. Freshman Nathan Nyandoro recorded one of them, as his role continues to increase.
The defensive line fell apart in the second half as Boston College established the run with Turbo Richard. Interior tackle Nissi Ogbebor, another freshman, secured a team-high 84.3 defensive grade for his performance. He played just five snaps. Starting interior tackles Dion “Tank” Wilson Jr. and Kevin Jobity Jr. combined for six pressures but failed to record a sack.
Linebackers: C+
The Orange have found solid play in their linebacker unit through freshman Antoine Deslauriers. He capped his first college season with a four-tackle game. Deslauriers finished one tackle short of the team lead, held by fellow linebacker Gary Bryant III. Bryant secured his top spot against Boston College with six tackles, the second-most for SU.
Other linebackers added tackles on Saturday, including Anwar Sparrow with five and James Heard Jr., who posted two and a 72.5 coverage grade. Syracuse didn’t miss many tackles, but as BC’s passing game ignited, the linebackers and secondary were quickly exposed.
Secondary: C-
Even as the Eagles played without their starting quarterback, Dylan Longeran, their passing game broke through. James tallied a season-high 288 passing yards, with 219 in the second half. Many of them went through star wide receiver Lewis Bond.
As he rolled into BC’s record books, Bond torched SU’s secondary with 171 yards on eight receptions. No other Eagles pass catcher recorded more than three receptions or 50 yards. Still, the deep threat of Reed Harris stretched the defense wide and left open pockets for Bond to maneuver. Cornerback Chris Peal posted another strong day, but Demetres Samuel Jr. turned in one of his worst performances of the year.
Special teams: C
Jack Stonehouse secured one more game of excellent punting, and Tripp Woody completed his first year with the Orange by tying a season-long at 49 yards. Syracuse never truly utilized its strong special teams unit and failed to establish a return game once Malachi James went down.
Coaching: C-
Fran Brown’s final game of his second season featured a mixture of senior send-offs and a youth movement. Neither of the combinations mattered, as the Orange produced one more embarrassing performance, this time against the worst team in the ACC.
The usage of Villari in the wildcat was effective at times but should’ve been turned to weeks prior. Brown also explicitly said Belin would play, but he never did as Filardi took all of the quarterback snaps. Brown’s offseason grade will be far more important than his one in the season finale.
