Syracuse and Louisville Bring Dual-Threat QBs to the Table This Weekend

With three games remaining in its schedule, Syracuse football is a single game away from bowl eligibility. Standing in Syracuse’s way this week is a struggling Louisville team. The Cardinals have lost two straight and four of their last five. However, just like the Orange, a bright spot for the Cardinals season has been their stud, dual-threat quarterback, Malik Cunningham.

It’s easy to see the similarities between Cunningham and Syracuse signal-caller Garrett Shrader. Both of them have rushed the ball well over 100 times, scored over a dozen touchdowns each, and are just a few good runs away from crossing the 700 yard mark for their seasons.

Cunningham leads all ACC quarterbacks in rush yards with 690. His 15 rushing touchdowns ties him for second place in the nation among all players. Even though he’s following in the footsteps of a generational talent, Cunningham is still earning high praise wherever he goes.

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“How do they go from Lamar [Jackson] to Malik?” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said this week. “I mean to get two of those in the same, I mean that guy is fast. So I just think he’s one of the most dynamic players in the league.”

Cunningham isn’t just good at gaining yards on the floor. The junior Alabama native has a cannon for an arm, frequently placing 40-plus yard passes on target. In their week-five matchup against Wake Forest, the Cardinals needed a touchdown late in the game to level it at 34. Cunningham, out of the shotgun, delivered a strike across the middle to Tyler Harrell. Harrell put on the afterburners and scored a 75 yard touchdown play before you could say “Lamar Jackson Heisman” five times fast. Even in the face of an extremely high bar, Cunningham has still delivered fo the Cardinals enough to break into the record books.

“Guys like that are going to make their plays,” Babers said. “It’s the Kobes the LeBrons, they’re going to get their points. It’s most likely what you are going to do with everyone else and don’t let him have a career day against you. ”

The Orange’s quarterback, Shrader has also posted impressive numbers on the ACC and national scale. In the conference quarterback hunt, Shrader's 670 rush yards elevates him to third, right behind UNC’s Sam Howell. For rush touchdowns, Shrader is tied at fourth place with 13.

Compared to his Cardinal counterpart, Shrader hasn’t been so diverse in his play selection. The Mississippi State transfer has only attempted 172 passes all year, and made 88 of them count. That does not mean Shrader is incapable of throwing the pigskin for gain, he’s shown flashes of brilliance. Against Virginia Tech he passed for 236 yards and two scores. In the same game he ran in three more touchdowns of his own, bringing his total to five.

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But when the aerial game isn’t in Shrader’s favor, he knows when to switch gears. Most recently against Boston College, shrader only made five completions. Not finding anything deep, the Syracuse playbook shifted to one very reliant on Shrader's legs and Sean Tucker. In the second half, Shrader ran in a 48-yard score as part of an explosive third-quarter for the Orange.

“What he has is a lot of confidence,” Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said of Shrader. “He plays with that confidence and just knowing him, he’s a confident player. And he’s got a lot of ability. He’s different than Malik because he’s 6’5”, he’s a strong runner, he’ll run you over, he’ll try to run you over. But also once he gets out he can go with those long strides.”

The Sophomore will need to use those long strides to extend his rushing touchdown streak to eight games.

With quarterbacks like Cunningham and Shrader at their disposal, it’s a bit of a shock that neither Syracuse nor Louisville are currently bowl eligible. At 5-4, the Orange just need one more win over the course of three weeks to go Bowling. Louisville, with the flip 4-5, need two in that same span. Dual threat QBs will play a huge role for both programs looking to get to a 13th game for the first time in years.

Syracuse makes the trip out to Louisville on Saturday. When Shrader, Tucker and Co. fly back, will a bowl game be in their sights? Kickoff between the Orange and the Cardinals is Saturday at Noon. For all of the pregame details and tense action, tune in to the Original home of the Orange, WAER at 11:30 for Countdown to Kickoff.