Last season, the Orange finished 5-7 to clinch their third-consecutive losing season. Perhaps a bright spot for SU was its hard-hitting defense, anchored by cornerback Garrett Williams. Limited to 10 of the ‘Cuse’s 12 games, Williams led the team with nine passes defended. On the other side of the field, freshman Darian “Duce” Chestnut hauled in three interceptions while defending eight passes.
This year, SU returns its most significant defensive contributors. In addition to the aforementioned Williams and Chestnut, team-captain linebacker Mikel Jones returns to the 315 after foregoing the NFL Draft. Jones’ ability to cover ground against the run and react in the short-pass game will pay dividends against a potent Louisville offensive attack. Additionally, edge-rushers Stefon Thompson and Marlowe Wax return for their sophomore season after combining for 16.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. The team’s sack leader, Cody Roscoe, posted 12.5 tackles for loss to go along with eight and a half sacks.
SU’s linebacker unit is poised to return to 2021 form, thanks in large part to their ace’s commitment.
“We call ourselves the force,” said Mikel Jones last month. “You’re gonna see the force in action in the first game. I’m really excited to play with those guys one more time.”
Well, “The Force” will have its work cut out for them against the savvy Malik Cunningham.
Last year, Cunningham carved up the Orange in a 41-3 blowout while operating largely on auto-pilot. The Cardinal signal-caller amassed just 228 yards from scrimmage— his second-lowest total on the season— while passing and rushing a combined 25 times— his lowest mark of the year.
But with an improved defense, Syracuse may well force action into Cunningham’s hands. Defending dual-threat quarterbacks was a weak point for SU last year. On October 2nd, 2021 against Florida State, Syracuse surrendered 113 yards to QB Jordan Travis. While Cunningham seldom scampered against SU last year, he demonstrated an aptitude for calling his own number. Cunningham accumulated 1,031 rushing yards in 13 games last season, becoming the first Louisville quarterback since Lamar Jackson to produce at that rate on the ground.
Cunningham runs with a similar flair to the NFL MVP, using his wheels to churn out four games with 99 or more rushing yards in 2021.
Let’s not downplay Cunningham’s passing chops. Despite standing at a below average 6’1” among quarterbacks, Cunningham tossed four touchdowns against the Orange. The signal-caller threw for over 200 yards in eight of his 13 starts.
Add it all up and Cunningham came just 59 yards short of a 3,000-yard passing, 1,000-yard rushing season— that’s an elite mark, and considering SU’s inherent flaws against dual-threat quarterbacks who lull linebackers into 50-50 guessing games, Cunningham is a bona-fide problem for SU’s defense.
The oddsmakers don’t love SU’s chances, giving the Orange +25,000 odds to win the conference. That’s second-worst in the entire ACC. WynnBET gives Louisville a four-point edge in Saturday’s matchup. Still, even the stiffest odds don’t faze Mikel Jones.
“We see [Louisville] as a good opportunity,” Jones said candidly last month. “We don’t think it’s going to be a tough challenge. We’re excited to play those guys in the first week.”
Now, is this confidence a bit brazen for a team that lost 41-3 to Louisville a year ago? Maybe. But perhaps the force has awoken.
Of course, you can follow along with the action to find out if Jones’ confidence is well-placed by tuning into WAER at 8:00 for opening kick-off. Our live coverage begins at 7:00 with an hour-long, season-opening edition of Countdown to Kick-Off.