It hasn’t been another season of blowouts for Florida State, but they’ve done enough to do what many of the highest ranked teams haven’t – win. The reigning national champions comes to the Carrier Dome to face a Syracuse team that has lost its last three games. The Seminoles, meanwhile, haven’t lost since the 2012 season.
“There’s a reason why they’ve won 21 in a row: great coaching and great players,” Scott Shafer said. “We have a daunting task in front of us, but we're looking forward to it.”
Syracuse (2-3, 0-1) hopes to gets its season back on track on Saturday at the Dome when its hosts No. 1 Florida State at noon. The Orange is 1-8 all-time against the top ranked team. The only win came at home against Nebraska back in 1984.
Tune in to Countdown to Kickoff at 11:30 a.m. on WAER and listen to the Double Overtime after the game.
The Seminoles have a 5-0 record, but they’ve shown some blemishes this season. They’re coming off a resounding 43-3 victory over Wake Forest, but have two other six-point wins. Jameis Winston has already tossed five interceptions after an almost flawless Heisman year in 2013. That’s half as many interceptions as last season in just a third of the games. But since Winston returned from a one-game suspension, he’s thrown for 662 yards and five touchdowns.
“It’s an incredible challenge going up against the No. 1 team,” cornerback Julian Whigham said. “Everyone’s excited for the opportunity and I think we’re all up for the challenge.”
It’s hard enough to match up against Winston and the Seminole passing attack. But the Orange comes in without its own quarterback. Terrel Hunt fractured his fibula last week and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. Even though the passing game hasn’t worked well in the past three losses, Hunt’s loss hurts Syracuse in a number of ways. He leads the team in rushing with 307 yards and the Orange relied on his scrambling ability in the red zone. And as the starting quarterback, he’s the leader of the offense.
“When he’s out there, he’s in the lead,” left tackle Sean Hickey said. “He’s in command. That’s something that’s big for the offense so when you lose something like that, it hurts. But at the same time, we have to move forward and encourage the other guys.”
In Hunt’s absence, Shafer will turn to a mix of Austin Wilson and AJ Long at quarterback. Syracuse lists Wilson OR Long as the starter in this week’s depth chart. Wilson appeared in two games this season – in relief after Hunt’s ejection against Villanova and after Hunt's injury versus Louisville. He’s 11-20 for 89 yards and did just enough to give Syracuse a win the season opener. But Long has gotten rave reviews from teammates and coaches for his role as a scout team player in practice. Playing both Wilson and Long, Shafer said, allows Syracuse to play to the different styles and strengths of each quarterback. Shafer added that whoever’s under center, he’s excited to see new players get an opportunity.
“It's what you dream about as a young man, a chance to get on the field and play football and chance to get on the field and play against the best team in the country," Shafer said. "A team that a lot of people would argue is maybe the best team in the last 10 years.”
What to Watch For
- Syracuse’s offensive game plan – Tim Lester will call plays for the first time for the Orange after George McDonald was demoted to wide receivers coach this week. Lester only gets one week to adjust to the new position. But McDonald said that the learning curve for Lester won’t be too tough. “We’ve game planned side by side for two years, so it’s not necessarily like he’s hired off the street and he has five days to figure it out,” McDonald said.
- Syracuse’s run game – Shafer will likely rely on his running backs to take the pressure of Wilson or Long. The rushing attack has been a silver lining for the Orange offense. It averages more than five yards per carry. But without Hunt to worry about, Florida State may be able to stack the box and focus in on SU’s backs.
News and Notes
- Upset Alert? - Shafer remains optimistic even though Florida State is favored by about three touchdowns. He’s shown his players how college football teams favored by 13 to 21 have done in recent weeks. And he, of course, has his own experience seeing the underdog Orange pull off an upset. “Why not us,” Shafer asked. “If you look back at some of the games since I’ve been here the last few years, games where nobody gave us a chance – 2010 at West Virginia, Louisville a couple years ago and West Virginia here – you say why not us?”
- The champ is here – Syracuse has beaten the defending AP champion twice in team history: in 1987 against Penn State and 1998 against Michigan. But this will be first time the Orange goes up against the defending Heisman winner.
- Injury Bug – If Ashton Broyld (lower body) can’t play, Syracuse will have a dozen inactive players. That includes four starters: Broyld, Hunt, right tackle Ivan Foy and defensive tackle Eric Crume. For the Seminoles, they’ll miss their top rusher (Karlos Williams) and center (Austin Barron). Leading receiver Rashad Green is expected to play, but is coming off a concussion.