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inside Banged up The Orange allowed eight sacks against North Carolina State. Their offensive line has Page 4
Scouting the Panthers last season on the road. Page 6
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TACKLE BATTLE Andrew Armstrong and Lakiem Williams are leading Syracuse’s defensive turnaround
LAKIEM WILLIAMS corey henry photo editor
By Eric Black
senior staff writer
A
ndrew Armstrong and Lakiem Williams are always competing. In the weight room and on practice fields this summer, the pair couldn’t resist comparing each other’s measurables. Who could lift more weight? Who could finish a sprint quicker? Who could run a faster 40-yard dash? By season’s start, their competition shifted to on-field statistics — sacks, tackles and tackles for loss. Whoever ends up with the most tackles at the end of the season has to buy the other dinner. “I’ll go make a play, he’ll go make a play, then he’ll come back, get like three plays in a row,” Williams said. “I’m like ‘OK, dang, I need to get me one now.’ We always battle.” Williams currently leads the team with 43 tackles, and Armstrong a close second at 41. In terms of game-by-game tackle totals, the two have each “won” three games so far. Syracuse’s (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) starting linebacker duo has set the tone for the Orange this season, serving as the leaders of the defense at a position that many thought would be one of SU’s weaker ones this year.
The Orange had to replace starting linebackers Ryan Guthrie and Kielan Whitner from last season’s team, but Armstrong and Williams have thrived in their first seasons as starters for the Orange.
We’re a really good duo out there, I’m happy to have him by my side Andrew Armstrong su linebacker
“When you start thinking about the second game to what they’re doing right now,” SU head coach Dino Babers said, “they have developed extremely well.” In Syracuse’s second game of the season — a 63-20 beatdown by Maryland — the Terrapins ran for 354 yards on a lost SU defense. While the two linebackers finished second and third on the team in tackles that
day, they, along with the rest of the defense, struggled with missed tackles, poor reads and miscommunications. Williams and Armstrong said the Orange didn’t take the Terrapins seriously and thought they’d cruise to a victory. But then UMD took a 28-7 lead just a quarter and a half into the game, seemingly shaking Syracuse’s defense up for the rest of the contest. “That’s just a feeling we don’t want to have again,” Williams said. “So ever since then we’re just like ‘we’re gonna be right no matter who it is, who we play.’” After a loss to reigning national champion Clemson the following week, Syracuse’s defense has shown marked improvement, holding its last three opponents to just 52 points combined. SU’s allowed just 107.6 yards per game on the ground while extending its takeaway streak to 20 games, the second-best active mark in the nation behind Mississippi State. The Orange defense’s strong stretch of play culminated last Thursday, when they held North Carolina State to more than 13 points below its season average. While SU still managed to lose the game, 16-10, because of its
see linebackers page 7
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AY NIGHT LIGHTS
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Against North Carolina State, Syracuse’s offensive line gave up eight sacks. It’s struggled with injuries, pace of play, schemes and noise throughout its cold stretch, while causing the Orange’s offense to stall. corey henry photo editor
ROADBLOCK By Josh Schafer
senior staff writer
T
he scene happened over-and-over again this season, 26 times to be exact. Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito drops back and searches for receivers, but he’s rushed. He often side steps one defender before they bring him down. Opposing defenders dance while a Syracuse offensive lineman reaches his hand out to help DeVito up. In SU’s most recent game against North Carolina State, that scenario played out eight times. Only three teams in the country have allowed more sacks than Syracuse. It won’t get easier for Syracuse (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) this Friday when Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1) enters the Carrier Dome with the second most sacks in the country. “Obviously we aren’t playing at the level that we feel we need to be. That’s why we go out and practice every day,” redshirt junior lineman Airon Servais said. Part of Syracuse’s offensive line struggles are simple. Three of the five linemen hadn’t started at game with Syracuse before the season. Right tackle Ryan Alexander is a graduate transfer from Southern Alabama while guard Dakota Davis, a redshirt sophomore, and tackle Carlos Vettorello, a redshirt freshman, are in their first season with increased roles. Servais came into the year weighing 273 pounds and was slotted as a left tackle, but an injury to redshirt junior center Sam Heckel moved Servais back to the position he’s started at for the previous two years. After Friday’s game against Pitt, Syracuse’s patched-up offensive line will have played three of the top 10 defensive lines in the country. As Servais pointed out, the linemen on the other side of the ball are “on scholarship too.” But not all of Syracuse’s offensive-line issues
What’s wrong with Syracuse’s offensive line? are as simple as inexperience and playing against strong defensive fronts. The problems come down to a combination of noise, scheme and execution that reaches beyond just the offensive line. It’s unfair to just see the quarterback on the ground and only blame the big guys in front of him. On one third down in the third quarter against North Carolina State, the Wolfpack blitzes targeted SU running back Moe Neal. NC State’s outside rusher pushed off Neal’s attempt at cutting his legs and ran loose for a sack. “I took the right guy,” Neal said. “I just got to fit him better. I kind of hit him, then I missed and was lunging and stuff. So off-balance.” Later in the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack ran a blitzing scheme which rushes two linebackers in the same gap. In many traditional blocking schemes, only one person would be responsible for a gap. So even as Neal partially inhibited pass rushers on both third and fourth down during a fourth quarter drive, an NC State defender still exploded into the backfield. The plays didn’t end in sacks, but the drive ended in a turnover on downs after pressure forced DeVito to throw the ball away. As Clemson did to Syracuse a few weeks prior, NC State confused Syracuse with its pressure combinations, often starting with three-down linemen and then a combination of stand-up blitzers. Though Syracuse had the proper number of blockers to match defenders, the scheme didn’t always align. Blitzes are meant to exploit holes in protections, so
if the defensive coordinator predicts the offensive scheme correctly, SU’s line is at a disadvantage. On consecutive plays in the second quarter, NC State players ran free at DeVito. On the first play, the original pressure resulted from a defender beating tight end Aaron Hackett to the inside which prohibited DeVito from stepping up to avoid the pressure mounting on his right side. The second came on a schematic mismatch. The Orange offensive line all stepped left off the line and Neal also plunged that way on a fake run. The NC State defense had designed a slant opposite of Syracuse’s movement and two unimpeded defenders nearly sacked DeVito. Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said after last Thursday’s loss that noise from the crowd played a factor in communicating play calls and adjustments throughout the line. Syracuse has started three new offensive linemen this season and Babers noted for guys new to playing on the road it can be harder to hear. Servais, who played at LSU in his fourth start, agrees with Babers. He remembered the speed of the game in general — the pace and the players on the other side of the ball — combined with crowd noise and jitters forced him into several penalties early in his career. He remembers false starting, or sometimes not even snapping the ball at center. “A lot of that is just getting used to the environment and growing up,” Servais said. “I think our guys are getting a lot better with that and that’s one of those things (that) just takes time getting used to.” The problems up front are fixable but require more reps for an inexperienced group. That takes time, perhaps too much time for a team fighting to stay in bowl contention. “They’ll get better,” Babers said. “They’ll all get better and when they do we’ll be really good.” jlschafer@syr.edu | @Schafer_44
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Opponent preview: What to know about the Pitt Panthers By Josh Schafer
senior staff writer
Syracuse (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) returns to the Carrier Dome for a Friday night matchup against Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1). This will be the Orange’s second weekday game in a row as SU lost 16-10 at North Carolina State last Thursday while Pittsburgh enters after not playing last weekend. Below is a preview of the Syracuse-Pittsburgh matchup.
All-time series: Pitt leads 39-32-3
Gambling odds:
As of Wednesday afternoon, Pittsburgh is 2.5point favorites and the game total is 52.
The last time they met:
Last year, Syracuse’s game at Pittsburgh ended up being the Orange’s lone loss outside the top 25. SU led Pittsburgh 14-0 in the first half before falling 44-37 in overtime. Pittsburgh fought back and regained the lead before an hour-long weather delay. Out of the stoppage, Syracuse scored 17 unanswered points but couldn’t hold on. Pittsburgh’s offense couldn’t be stopped as running backs Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison —both of whom are no longer with the Panthers —rushed for 299 yards and three touchdowns.
The Pitt report:
The Panthers are currently 107th in the country in scoring offense. Their average of 21.5 points per game is four points lower than Syracuse. The Panthers don’t have a rusher with more than 200 yards through six games as the offense is mainly led by junior quarterback Kenny Pickett, who’s thrown for 1,370 yards. Pitt has only beaten one team by more than three points this year including Delaware. Still, the Panthers beat then No. 15 UCF 35-34 and recently beat Duke on the road. A large part of their success has spawned from a stalwart defense. The Panthers allow just shy of 300 yards per game (No. 32 in the nation) and are second in the country in sacks with 27. It’s not an ideal number for a Syracuse
ABDUL ADAMS and the rest of Syracuse’s running back group has been inconsistent this season. Adams, Moe Neal and Jarveon Howard combined for just 54 yards against North Carolina State. corey henry photo editor
offensive line that allowed eight sacks to North Carolina State and has allowed more sacks than all but one Power 5 school.
How Syracuse beats Pittsburgh:
There are two ways that Syracuse can handle Pittsburgh on Friday night. The first — and more likely to happen — is a combination of the defense holding Pittsburgh to a low score and forcing turnovers that put Syracuse in immediate scoring position. If the defense can hand the Syracuse offense short fields, the Orange can
hang around. The other solution is the Syracuse offense from the fourth quarter against NC State returns. Thus far, that’s meant playing fast via quick screens or short outside throws. If the Orange get the ball to playmakers before the pass rush reaches DeVito, Syracuse might pull out the win.
Stat to know: 42
Syracuse’s rushing yards per game in three contests against Power 5 teams this year. If the
Orange want to produce the scoring numbers they did in the first three years under Dino Babers, this number will need to increase. Player to watch: Jaylen Twyman, defensive line, No. 97 If the Panthers do maul the Syracuse offensive line on Friday night, Twyman is a likely suspect. Through six games he has six sacks including a three-sack performance against Ohio. At six-foot-two and 290 pounds, he leads the Panthers in sacks.
jlschafe@syr.edu | @schafer_44
football
Beat writers predict Syracuse to lose to Pittsburgh on Friday By The Daily Orange Sports Staff
Syracuse (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) already has as many losses in 2019 as it did in all of 2018. The Orange lost to Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1) in 2018 at Heinz Field, 44-37, after Eric Dungey threw an interception in overtime. Syracuse, as of Wednesday afternoon, are 3.5-point underdogs, according to Pinnacle. Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when the Panthers visit the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. on Friday:
Eric Black (4-2)
Moldy oranges Pittsburgh 23, Syracuse 17 Last week’s game against North Carolina State was ugly, and I don’t think this’ll be much better. The 76-61 contest between these two teams in 2016 and the 44-37 overtime from page 3
linebackers struggling offense, the Orange had its best individual effort of the year by either linebacker. Not only did Armstrong prolong Syracuse’s turnover streak with his second-career interception, but the senior led the team with a career-high 14 tackles. “He always surprises me with something new every day,” Williams said about Armstrong. “The NC State game really made me appreciate (Armstrong) because they were just trying and he just kept making plays.” Armstrong played in all 13 of Syracuse’s games last season, but started just one, spending most of his playing time on third downs and special teams. He saw limited
thriller last year are a thing of the past — this Syracuse offense is bad and last week’s performance fully convinced me of that. And when you’re one of the worst teams in the country in terms of sacks allowed and facing one of the best defensive fronts in the ACC, that’s a recipe for disaster. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game gets lopsided due to a slow start by the Orange offense again. But with their defense playing as well as it is right now, they should stay within striking distance. SU can win this game. But let’s be real. It hasn’t defeated a Power 5 team all season. And I don’t think it will on Friday.
Andrew Graham (4-2)
clicking fully, I’m certain the Panthers will turn in a stinker and the Orange will win by two touchdowns. But on paper, I simply can’t pick Syracuse to win this game. Syracuse ranks fourth-worst in the country in sacks allowed (26) and Pitt ranks third in the country in sacks (27) — that’s the ball game right there. Pitt should regularly disrupt SU’s offensive schemes by blowing up the plays before they even start, keeping Tommy DeVito more concerned with running away than completing passes. It doesn’t matter how good Syracuse’s defense might be, if Pitt controls the line of scrimmage it’ll control time of possession and naturally, the game.
Pitt stain Pittsburgh 31, Syracuse 17 Naturally now that I’ve finally soured on SU’s offensive line figuring it out and the offensive
Josh Schafer (5-1)
action, but his 45 tackles were sixth-most on the team and his two fumble recoveries were tied for third-best in the ACC. His production can be attributed in part to his knowledge of the game, Williams said, which has impressed him just as much as Armstrong’s physical ability. Williams, meanwhile, has developed into SU’s leading tackler after barely seeing the field last year. The Tacoma, Washington native played sparingly and made just four tackles, spending his time exclusively on special teams. After transferring to Syracuse following two years at Butte College, Williams has had just over a year to learn the Orange’s defensive schemes. With six games as a starter, his intensive work this summer — like learning the playbook and improving his body — has
come to fruition. “I feel like it’s shown on the field this year and he’s created a name for himself,” Armstrong said. “We’re a really good duo out there, I’m happy to have him by my side.” Williams’ responsibility before the snap as a middle linebacker is to relay the play call to the rest of the defense. Armstrong identifies what type of formation the offense is in, relaying that information back to Williams so that the two can make whatever pre-snap adjustments are necessary. As the “voice of the defense,” linebackers are largely responsible for ensuring every play is thoroughly communicated and understood before the ball is snapped. Communication has been the key of late for Syracuse, Armstrong said. When there is no communication or if a player
Dogs at home Pittsburgh 20 Syracuse 17 The Orange may not win the game on
Friday, but they might cover the 3.5 point spread in Pittsburgh’s favor. There are many reasons why Syracuse is an underdog at home, perhaps none more important than the Orange’s performance against top defensive lines this year. Pittsburgh gets to the quarterback more often than all but one team in the country and Syracuse is the fourth worst team in the country at protecting its passer. Plain and simple, that’s just not a good matchup for the Orange. The one thing that is looking up for the Orange is that Pittsburgh also hasn’t scored many points this year either. The game will likely be low scoring and therefore close. But Pittsburgh, who’s beaten teams like UCF and Duke, has a better resume headed into this one and it will show on Friday.
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isn’t on the same page as the rest of the defense, that’s when big plays and holes happen, like what happened time-andagain against Maryland. Despite some hesitation prior to the season regarding the preparedness of SU’s linebacker group, Williams and Armstrong have had success while taking the brunt of Syracuse’s defensive responsibilities. Last year, when Guthrie and Whitner had to replace two star Orange linebackers, they led 2018’s squad team in tackles. This year, Williams and Armstrong have done the same. “We’re taking that same approach,” Armstrong said. “There are still people that are gonna doubt us, but at the end of the day we’re the ones on the field doing it, they’re not.” erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34
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